The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-07-26

means of cOntrO thru their repre-
sentatives right down the line OF
their usual activities, thru personal
acquaintance, thru business asso-
ciates and thru the opportunities af-
forded by their church activities.
have been wanting to tell you
a story on the side, and here is
good place for it.
Dangers of Monopoly
When the first Pacific railroad was
built it had to have government aid,
and the federal government made
land grants and appropriations Of
cash. So did the State of California.
The legislators responded generously
to every request, and as the work
went along the promoters OF the rail
roads got SO they asked for plenty of
land and plenty of money. There
were times when the government
was making appropriations in cash
for enough money per mile to build
the Union Pacific and buy the roll
ing stock, and giving vast amounts
of abutting lands besides. But the
Southern Pacific, building thru high
mountains and dry sandy deserts,
had a more expensive task, shipping
all their materials around Cape
Horn.
They had very difficult task, anu
most of it's hackers went broke. AS
this happened, new men had to he
brought in or fewer of the old guard
had to shoulder the burden. In des-
peration they asked the legislature
of California for more and more help
and opposition developed. The
Southern Pacific men resorted to the
plan of selecting their friends to go
to the legislature and fill other posi-
tions in the state government. For
a long time it seemed as if they had
to do this to save themselves from
utter ruin. Under this strain they
organized so close that they con-
trolled the state government in all
it's branches, and after they had
completed the road to the junction
with the Union Pacific at Ogden, they
kept right on nominating and elect
ing the officials. They did it by cor
rupt means, such as passes, faVors
in shipping, favors in building spurs
and docks and by buying mems in
fiuece outright. They organized the
state from the capital building right
down the line to the precinct COM
mitteemen, and when men could not
be controlled with requests or the
offer of favors or with outright
bribery, they, used the opposite
tactics of intimidation, and nearly
all men could be controlled by the
one plan or the other. Those who
could not, had to be whipped out
right, and the Southern Pacific
spared no amount of work and
money to see that such men were
whipped, and the mass of the peo-
pie misinformed, deceived, betrayed
and made to foot the bills.
We Don't Want 1t Here
For a generation that condition
prevailed. and the interests of the
people and the state were stit1ed.
Anything affecting the power and
the net profits of the Southern
Pacific, had to be made to favor
them or it was crushed, no matter
how much it was needed by the peo-
pie. When any big constructive
work was planned to benefit Cali
| fornia, it had to be worked over to
suit the wishes of the Southern
Pacific or it would be strangled, and
promoters planned things with that
knowledge. And it was not until an
outside man with outside capital
came along and absorbed the South
ern Pacific and made it a mere COG
| in the great Hartman system, that
this old condition was broken up.
| Ambition is Checked
It has been said that the Utah
Idaho Sugar company had done
Lsome business on the same plan in
| the intermountain country, and that
the sum total of it's activities served
as a blight upon the country and
4 especially on the farming interests
The officers of the company say 1t Is
not true of their company so now you
have their assurance that they have
/ not worked on that plan in the past
The people will probably study them
close enough to find it out if they
attempt to introduce such plans fol-
operating in the future. There is
enough for all of us to do working
on constructive plans, without hamp.
ering the development and produc,
ton of these states by using the
strangle-hold on anybody or any in
dustry.
Must you go so soon? Have
talked too long this time? Just lean