The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-01-27

The Peoples Mistakes
Thru all the years they got
thoroly roasted, whoever they are or
were. It generally meant the board
Of directors or the town people who
did most of the work or the farmers
living near town who furnished the
most Of the exhibits and the work.
III they want real fair let them
pay for 1t" was favorite expression
OF the land owner whose acres were
doubling in value by reason of the
exhibits made at the fair. IF they
would pay something worth while
would take one of my heifers to the
fair was one way of saying that a
man wanted everything done. to
benefit him and was not willing to
do any of the benefiting. Il took a
pair of pullets to the fair, and they
made me pay admission for my
family was common expression,
land won't go there any more"
The Ingrates Of Society
All these expressions showed how
the public mind was developing into
error like the young lady who was
advised that she could get well and
strong If she would quit tea and cof-
fee altogether and not drink any
think with her foods, and she tap
cred off from glass of hot water
half an hour before the meal to the
regular tea and coffee with the meal.
The people in whose interest the fair
was conducted, with some notable
exceptions, ignored it or opposed it,
and those who had the least chance
to benefit by it, worked on and on
because it was a public duty that
somebody had to attend to. The
merchant said the land owner was
adding to the values of his land, and
the land owner said the merchant
was the one whose business was in
creased by it. The merchant replied
that it brought him more stores and
harder competition and he had less
chance to make money than ever be-
fore and there was merit in both
statements.
The Sugar Industry Came
Within year or so after the fair
was started, an effort was made to
secure a sugar factory and in that
the local promoters were successful,
but it was stolen away from them
factory and all and it was planted at
Idaho Falls. The promoters had
spent great deal of money in the
work, and it had been paid out of
private pockets with the hope Of hav-
ing it refunded. Suit was brought
against the man who betrayed them,
and the court required the betrayed
to pay the promoters $1,000. They
took this money and hunted up and
secured another factory and planted
it at Blackfoot. In consequence of
this move the price of farming land
doubled almost over night, the land
owners profited and the merchants
in the town saw more competitors
opening up stores vast deal of
credit business followed, there was
visitation of the white fly in the beet
field coupled with water shortage,
and merchants lost heavily because
debtors could not pay and many left
the country, worse than broke. These
things were the indirect eject of the
fair. Better farming followed,
greater incomes resulted from the
addition of the beet CROP, and the
price of farm lands increased stead
lily, while the price of city lots adj
yanced just about enough to pay
taxes and interest on the invest
ments. The more prosperous condi-
lions among the land owners was re-
fected in business, and the mercan-
tile institutions that were well man
aged prospered as an indirect effect
of the fair. The average merchant
lost money during fair week because
he advertised heavily in the premium
lists to help the fair along and then
he shut up his store and went to the
fair because it was considered UNI
fair to keep business open. Saloons,
pool halls, hotels and eating houses
profited by the rush of business, and
the committees soliciting the adver-
tisements to support the fair usually
reported that they were utterly un-
able to get that kind of houses to put |
up money in proportion to the BUSH
ness it brought and the profits they
made.
The Lady Knocker
referring again to the young lady |
who disobeyed the doctors orders
about drinking, she got SO she took |
every opportunity to tell people what |
a worthless doctor he was. He had
helped her a little at the start and |
then she became worse than ever,
and she blamed him for it all. She |
never tired of telling people what a
quack he was. The public in their |
dealing with the fair association fell |
into the same error. The directors
and the secretary had-t take the |
heavy end of the burdens all the
time, and they got blamed for every
thing. If bills were paid, they, were
med for not paying them sooner.
II bills were not paid, the officers Of /
The fair were not reliable men, and 1t
was not we'll to patronize them in
heir business. All payments Of the
thousands of little bills and large
,nes had to come thru the secretary,
ind he had to bear the blame for all
iisappointments even tho he was
merely the servant Of the board act
ng upon their orders.
HOnOrs That Stuck