Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1862-03-15

The Importanes Of Diviiea a WaGAing-
ton Territory.
The time has come when the interesas Of
this coast require that Washington Territory
should be divided. and new Territory Or
ganixed oat Of the district east Of the Cascade
Mountains. Washington, % now constituted,
contains about 100000 square miles, being
one-third larger than California, a large a.
any three contiguous States east Of the Mis-
sissippi. and twice rs large a. all the New
England States together. This enormous
area is too large, politically, for one State.
the Rocky Mountains, SO that We may have
a stronger representation in the Federal Sen
ate. True, Washington is not yet ready to
demand an admission as State but we do
not know how soon she may be ready. 1t is
impossible to foresee. the Importance of the
Clearwater, (Nez Pcrces) and Salmon river
mines; but ii onc-third Of the statements
uniformly favorablc-made by persons ut tho
mines-persons well known and considered
trustworthy in Oregon, should prove true, the
gold produce and the population there, will.
within year or two, render that the third or
fourth gold district in the world. The time
therefore, has come for considering the mat
ter.
Not only as matter Of interest to the coast,
but as matter Of importance to the different
portions of Washington, is division necessa-
ry. The Territory is 500 hundred miles long,
from northwest to southeast, and 600 miles
long from east to west. Its northern bounda.
is the 49th parallel; it's eastern, the summit
of the Rocky Mountains, from 49o to ago;
its southern, the 42d parallel from the Rocky
Mountains, to point south of the mouth Of
the Owhyhec river; thence it runs due north
to the Snake river, whose waters it follows to
latitude 46o; thence it runs due west to the
Columbia, which it follows to the ocean, the
the western boundary of the Territory, which
is shaped like IN elbow. Washington forms
the entire eastern and northern boundary Of
Oregon. r aa
The Territory is not only too large. but it
consists Of two districts which are entirely
dissimilar in all their resources and wants,
and should therefore be politically separate.
The Cascade Mountains form the dividing
line, as the Sierra Nevada part of the same
chain does farther south. The western divis-
ion of Washington Territory has the finest
navigable inland waters, and the most valua-
bic forests for lumber in the world, and the
best fsheries-though the fisherman are lack
ing-on the Pacific. We comprehend the
full force of these assertions, and make them
deliberately, after having visited the waters
of Puget Sound, and knowing something Of
all the considerations suggested by what VIC
say. In addition to these advantages, the ba-
sin of Puget Sound has fertile soil and
large beds Of coal. The climate is mild and
favorable to agriculture, but very wet. Ex-
treme heat and cold are alike rare. The
streams are never frozen over, and snow rare
ly lies on moro than day or two.
Cross the Cascade Mountains and you arc
in new world. There are no dense forests
of conifers, where every tree is over 200 feet
high. There are no thickcts of underbrush.
The land is bare, barren and rocky. There
is no opportunity for catching any fish, save
salmon. There is little to attract the farmer
All those occupation which will thrive in the
basin of Puget Sound, are impossible in the
basin of the Upper Columbia. The herds
man and the gold miner will occupy the latter
district-shipowners, the farmers, lumbermen
and fisherman will abound in the former. ,e
Not only should the two districts be separ-
u
resources, but also Of the great remoteness Of
their chief centres Of population from each
other. The settlements Of the two Districts
are at the opposite ends Of the Territory, sep
arated by a distance of 400 miles Of almost
unoccupicd territory. and by range Of mount
aims, the comb Of which reaches nearly to the
line of perpetual snow. and is almost impassa-
bic to travellers during considerable postioa
of the year. What convenience can their be
in having a mining population 1t the foot Of
the Rocky Mountains tied up under the samo
territorial organization with the lumhermo
aud farmers on the shores Of the Psci6ci i
would be like tying the minen It Pike's
Peak to the whalers Of New Bedford. 0ueA
union must result in coafasioa sn1 diacssd;
q separation will be ben~6cial - both. ana
caunot possibly do any harm 70 anybody. lt
was q great error that Orcgcn was admitted
as a State with thrc-f ffths Of her Tcuisesy
east Of the Cascade Mountains. The dif'ss
ence betwcea the two districts Is - geaf
there. a in Wsshingtoa, ana ths rasaas r
making the SUNNI Vt Of the chain line e %
li.ical division nearly - strong. The wish
Of the representation from Oregon vas a.
bowed to govern in that instance. bet hesrsf.
ter every Coagrsssuaa frosa this coast shoald
give his attention to the mssstcs. and Be
heard - IN Interested party. q Washingtou.
1, may BE- that for frw yean ths psPulaaisa
in the newly discevessd pasees win Gvsaaly
ousnumbsr thsa "a the shorss q Ppgs1 6sa1a.
but that the latter dissrics u dessiasa - -
Car more popuIous and wealthy N - rsneae
time; and it will prove - important to Cali
fornia that we should not l0ok Viii us1lssD-
ness upon any course which vin snsw ~ r.
terpsi TO be sacsi6ccd.-Akxs C6lilvpim.