The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-09-13

their employees and all the Dee
growers. II they would cancel en-
gagements with all their flunkie
and Influential citizens" and ever.
kind of people whom they use tt
bring pressure to bear upon the PEG
pie, they would deal with an oper
handed frankness and an absolute
honesty that cultivated everybody
confidence and everybody's working
spirit, l think the sugar company
might make more money and it IL
certain the people would get along
better and ali be happier in Their
efforts. 1t would cultivate better
character in all the citizens.
Opposite Kind Of Deal
| Now l want to tell you of some
operations of the long ago that Gull
tivated exactly the opposite spirit,
and tell you how they came out. At
times it is difficult for me to use the
particular illustrations that | want
to use because it cuts so close home,
but it is the things that cuts close
home that make a clearer demon
/ stration. There were two OF these
Illustrations or cases that ] would
like to tell about, but one OF them l
dare not use for fear of offending
some one whom l am trying to use
in bringing about very good
achievement. If / should tell about
this second one that l have in mind
it would offend one certain person
who holds the key to an important
situation. That person would be Of
Tended, would refuse to cooperate
any further, and Bingham county
and the Snal-e river valley would
lose something that l hope to secure
for them for public good. So l am
! obliged to keep still on that one mat
ter, but l will tell you about the
other.
The Bunting Forwarding Company
In 1879 the Utah Northern rail-
road was completed to Blackfoot and
Charles Bunting established what
was known as a forwarding bust
ness. He transferred the freight
from the cars to the freight wagons
and shipped it to the merchants and
mines in Lost river and Salmon river
country. He received substantial
commission for transferring or re-
loading the merchandise and it gave
him the key to an important COM
mercial relation. He operated a
merchandise store and the forward
ing or freighting business was
strong drawing card for selling goods
at his store. Because of that he was
able to sell goods all up and down
this country for distances Of 100
miles from Blackfoot in different
directions. At the time | speak of
the freighting business was very pro-
fitable for the teamsters as we'll as
for Mr.. Bunting. Mining and mer-
chandising were also very profitable
in the mining regions Ispeak of, but
as years went on the mines became
less active and less profitable and
the country settled up more and the
farming and stockraising interests
became more important. The mines
ceased to operate extensively, en-
ployment became more scarce and |
wages lower. The markets produced
by all these consuming operations at |
the mines were much less. People
raising crops could not sell their pro-
duce at the mines as they used to do
and times were hard. We could not |
ship the produce to distant places
like we can now because the markets
were not developed and the shipping
facilities were not developed.
Freighting became less and less pro-
fitable as the price of the team haul
was cut down closer and closer. Mr.
Bunting named the. price he would
pay and the teamsters could take
that or nothing. They were so hard
up that they were generally besieg-
ing him for freight regardless of the
price. He became more and more
avaricious and finally got the price
down really below the cost of doing
the work. knew teamsters who
worked year after year without MAX
ing expenses. They were poorer
each succeeding year and they did
their very best. Still some of them
stuck to it even tho they were losing
money. They hoped to do better
afterward. Many farmers have been
raising sugar beets at loss year
after year always hoping to do bet
Ter. For number of years during
he hard times the smelter was OPP
Grating at Clayton, on Salmon river,
md the price of team freight from
Blackfoot to Clayton went as low as
b1.00 per 100 pounds. The freighter
'ould not haul it there for that, but
he consoled himself with the thought
hat he could get load of bullion to
laul back and get so cents hundred
or that so by getting freight for the
ound trip he could make expenses.
think it is 100 miles from Black
DOT to Clayton and Mr.. Bunting
lnally cut the price Of freighting to
S cents hundred for all kinds of
merchandise no matter how bulky it
7as and As cents hundred for the
Million hor1od hocl rhio voodo |