The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-08-16
A Remarkable Meeting

it.
A Remarkable Meeting
In the face of the statement by T
r. Cutler that the leading men OF
Utah were anxious to develop the
sugar industry in Utah because IL
would so greatly benefit the agri-
cultural and stock interests, and in
the face of the fact that it had
made Lehi a more prosperous COM
munity than any Of the others in
the state where they had no sugar
industry, Cutler not only did his
best to stop the sugar industry at
Payette and Nampa, and was OPP
posing the one at Blackfoot, but in
regard to the one at Lewiston,
Utah, here is what was done to keep
that very helpful industry from
starting at Lewiston.
Who Did the Job
At that time, the spring of 1903,
there were operating in Utah, the
Utah Sugar company and the Anal
gamated Sugar company, the first
named being the present Utah-Ida-
no and the second-named headed by
David Eccles and his associates. The
Lewiston factory was an Independent
concern being promoted by c. w.
Eibley, who is now part of the Utah
Idaho Sugar company. 1t was the
wish Of all those fellows to keep out
competition. They said the sugar
business was fine thing for the
agricultural and stock interest; but
it was a very bad thing if it was
handled by any factory but their
own. One day they held a joint
meeting Of the directors of the two
companies to see what they could
do about strangling this indepen-
dent factory for Lewiston. There
we're present at the meeting John
Henry Smith, John r. Winder, Adam
Patterson, w. S. Mccormick, Thorn
as R. Cutler, w. w. Ritter. H. G..
Whitney, Thomas T. Dee, Joseph
Scowcroft, John c. Cutler, H. H. Ro-
lapp, H. H. Spencer, David Eccles
and r: w. Young, with Joseph F.
Smith presiding.
An Awful Resolution
These wise men discussed the sit
uation and all agreed that it would
be a disadvantage to their sugar
interests to let this independent fac
tory 60 in, and they framed resolu-
ton to spread broadcast to the press
saying that they considered that 1t
would be disastrous to the CONNER
cial and agricultural interests of
Utah to have this factory built; and
they pledged themselves to use all
honorable means to dissuade them
from going on with the enterprise.
The vote on the resolution was un-
animous, and one reason for it was,
according to. the talk of the meeting,
that the price of stock in their own
companies might take drop of
about two dollars a share if it was
built. Not word was said about
how much it might benefit the farm
ers and stockmen of Lewiston. Mr..
Ritter in discussing it said it was
doubtful whether the Lewiston dis
trict could furnish enough beets to
operate the factory, and If it did,
they would be selling their sugar in
some of the home market, which
was the best market the other COM
panies had. They had to ship part
of their product east to sell it, and
for this they did not get as much
money as they took from the home
people for sugar. The price of sug-
ar is fixed (Mr. Nibley's letter to the
UccI 6lOWCAo Va july IoSVs o0yoJ
by the price at New York, New Or
leans and San Francisco, yet they
were charging the people of Utah
and Idaho that price plus the freight
from those points to Utah and Ida
no, so the sugar company was pock-
citing the freight when they sold sug-
ar at home. They did not want any
one to cut in and share that best
market with them.
Committee to Deceive
A committee of five was appointed
by the chairman to 60 out and work
against this new factory and the
committee consisted of John Henry
Smith, T. r. Cutler, w. w. Ritter,
r. w. Young and H. H. Rolapp.
The comittee was not able to sup
press the new factory, and they soon
reached a point where their acts
were being SO roundly condemned
that they dared not act further be-
cause each act showed their hand
and brought on more embarrass-