The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-03-03
UTAH EDITOR TALKS

| pays AudHO oOmc compartments Oh
new and refreshing brand while
flaying some of Utah's own law.
makers. There is merit in what he
says and we might profit by reading
his remarks.
How Long, Oh Lord, How Long?
The need for good government and
br0ad-visiOned legislation was never
SO great in Utah as it is~today. This
Is wonderful state; in latent re-
sources it unquestionably surpasses
any one or all of the surrounding
states. It's idle acres; it's rivers with
coursing daily past the unreclaimed
stretches Of fertile land; it's minerals,
it's oil possibilities, it's power re-
| sources-all cry out for development
Helpful, forward looking legislation
that would provide stimulus toward
the development of the states i'm
mense resources is the big need. And
yet at this moment we have the in
spring spectacle of state legisla-
ture daWdling awas valuable time at
| public expense, while various men,
bers harangue their bored colleagues
On trivial and inconsequential mat
ters that should be thrashed out
around the stove at. the corner
grocery instead of in the legislative
| halls of great state.
Nero ,fiddled while Rome burned;
and our legislature is giving an ex-
hibition of backwoods debating So
| ciety while neighboring states, with
| natural resources that pale in COM
! parison with ours, are outstripping
| Utah in growth and development
Idaho is Utah's baby. Utah had
| thousands of inhabitants and many
| thriving towns before the first COM
| munity was established in the north
| ern state. And yet today, Idahos
population is within few thousand
of Utah's and within a short time
| will have left us far in the rear if
the present relative growth con-
tinues. What is the reason? Simply
because Idaho has been blessed with
legislators and statesmen who had
the foresight to know that only thru
helpful legislation and by protecting
and fostering home industries could
the state hope to make any noticeable
advances. Idaho is the home of a
dozen or more vast irrigation pro-
jects. Utah with more land and more
water, has one project.
Idaho is known an~ro tho ~"oe~
fraternity as the habitat Of good
newspapers. For many years ne
advantages have been sung and her
resources heralded far and wide by
a battery of bright, ably-edited and
well-supported newspapers. Such
constant publicity has brought home
the bacon. Idaho's reclamation pro-
jects were put over" by her news
papers.
Why does Idaho have a better class
of newspapers than Utah? Simply
because her legislators and her citi-
zens generally have had judgment
enough to know that the press should
be encouraged and fostered. Helpful
laws were enacted which made it
possible for the newspapers to pros
per. The papers were made the
mediums for the dissemination of
information of what the officials were
doing in the various counties, and
the newspapers were allowed a fair
price for the advertising. On every
possible occasion the papers were
benefited. The natural result was
that able newspapermen were at
tracted to Idaho and they have been
instrumental in placing that state
in the vanguard of the progressive
commonwealth of the west.
What is the situation in Utah? In
few words, the very opposite of the
Idaho method is employed in this
state in regard to the newspapers.
The present legislature gives good
illustration. A few days ago bill
which provided for the publication of
the proceedings of county commits
siOners, was killed because one mem
Der of the house suspected that the |
newsrarers were in favor of it. Hell
feared that the newspapers, which |
are attempting to fight the uphill |
battle of bringing to this state the |
development and growth which it de- |
serves, would derive little financial |
benefit from the measure. This leg
islator, who hales from Kane county, |
did not deny the merits. of the bill. |
That wasn't the question at all with |
him. He was against the measure !
merely because the newspapers were
for it. Another egislator-this one
from Beaver county-has introduced
a bill which would cut in half the
rate paid newspapers for legal ad-
vertising. This man, we understand,
has a personal grievance against the
publisher in his county and appar-
emily takes this method of playing
even. Any sane man who has the
least information about newspaper
costs know that the present rate is,
if anything, too low. And yet this
statesman from Beaver would have
the newspapers publish legal notices
for a price which would not cover the
cost of setting the type For the life
of us we cannot conceive of the pos
sibility of the measure becoming
law, but we are advised that there is
a strong likelihood Of this very thing
happening. We might add, in pass
ing, that The Times-Independent will
hang crepe on its door and consign it's
equipment to the junk-heap before it
will accept for publication single
notice at price one cent below the
present rate.
Utah will advance or retrogress in
direct proportion to the degree in
bo oroo,,ro~oa |