The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-08-07

port the road.
The two extremities of Idaho wer
| so geographically separated tina
people had to go through two O.
three states to get into the othe
part. of their own state, and on diff
ferent occasions Montana and Wash
ington sought to solve the question
by dividing and annexing North Ida
no. Nevada tried to annex Soutf
Idaho, and for a generation it was
an open question whether Idaho
might be dismembered and it's whole
organization sent to the scrap heap
AS the Pacific railroad was project
ed during the Civil war to keep the
Pacific coast connected with the
Union, so the friends Of united
Idaho sought with increasing inter
est for sixty years to bring the two
extremes closer together and thus
defeat the dismembership plans. If
you will take your map of Idaho and
run your finger across it from Weis-
er to Grangeville and Occur D'Alene,
following such streams as you can,
you will follow the trail of the gold
millions in gold in three years and
in the Occur D'Alene country you
touch the richest lead mines in the
world, in the Palouse country, just
south of it you dip into one of the
richest wheat areas in the world.
A rfcfn q 10 a
rich fruit country besides its grain
and mineral and stock output. North
Idaho Is so rich that large cities
have grown up close to it., drawing
SO much of their wealth from it that
they mention our Idaho resources
every time they talk of their wealth
of these cities, Spokane and Mi
ssoula in particular and Seattle and
Tacoma more distant. The trade of
South Idaho is great source of
wealth to Salt Lake City and Port
land, and the young men and wo-
men of Idaho have gone to all points
of the compass for their education,
with the result that there is lack
Of comradeship among them at
home, and there Is lack of state
pride and ambition for its future.
The associations of college life make
some of the strongest ties among
men and women, and Idaho has lit
lie of that, being linked with other
states widely scattered rather than
at home institutions.
When the Idaho Press club was
IN session last January and was
casting about to see where and how
t could assemble its members for
business and social purposes and do
some good to the state or to some |
part of the state, they decided to
AXE a caravan trip over the North |
md South highway and learn what
hey could of the project, the assum-
ion being that they would go in the |
of students and spokesman |
or the people of their respective To-
alities.
1t was announced that the cara
an would be entertained along the
way, and some of the newspaper
men hisitated about engaging to
make the trip, wondering If there
would be any effort made by some
'ody, some interests, to Obligate the
'ress to give publicity or support to
unworthy or doubtful.
onsidered that aspect Of the trip
ut dismissed it as something that
vas unlikely, and something that
ould not happen In my case with
ut my consent, and IL any Inter
sts'' could obtain my consent to
COST or advertise some doubtful I'M
ertaking, my readers would prob
bly, discover it and reproach me for
J. In the fall of 1922 the Idaho
over company invited all the edit
rs publishing newspapers in the
srritory served by their system to
e their guests for few days to visit
II of their power plants along the
make river for ESQ miles. Some of
ne editors hesitated about accept
lg, but the invitation made it plain
nat acceptance involved no obliga-
on whatever and at the end of three
r four busy days that we're filled
III b0Clu6 onQ A0alAAn6 oDOut CAOC-
lefty and power plants, the power
eople bid their guests goodbye with
xpressions Of good wishes and pleas
re in having had their company. 1t
as a wonderful education to the
ewspaper men, and II any returns
favors were asked of them by the
over people l never heard Of 1t.
rote a series of dozen chapters
'garding the trip, making people
,quainted with what I thought
ould be valuable for the public to
low, and think 1t was a good
ing for all of us to get common
of some of the practical
ings about this new servant oil
I think the editors of the {
ate ought to take more such trips, | 1
i'd spread information regarding l t
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