The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1867-02-02
The Division of the Territory.

/ next March, there is probability that the
subject of the partition of the Territories O
Idaho and Washington, and the formation o.
new Territory out of the portions Topped
off from each, may be considered and passed
upon before the expiration of another year,
With this probability before US, it behooves
the people of this Territory to take some
action in the matter, in the expression Of
their views. The late Legislature passed q
memorial praying Congress to make the pro-
Ijected division of Idaho, and create the new
Territory, to be called Columbia. The people
Iof Northern Idaho seem to be unanimously
Fin favor of the measure, and so far as we
learn; SCARE the inhabitants in that portion
of Washington Territory which it is proposed
to set off from that and erect into the new
Territory. Thus, the residents of the two
Territories in the portions to. be Topped off,
and therefore the people most interested in
the measure, are known to zealously favor it..
The next thing to ascertain is, the feelings
and wishes Of those portions of Idaho and
Washington Territories which are to consti-
tute the two, in case of division. But the
situation of the people of Washington Terri
tory is totally unlike that of the people of
Idaho. Washington, west of the Cascades,
lis vast expanse of farming, grazing, tim
bered land, and, with Puget Sound, of i'm
portance in maritime point of view. Com j.
merce, manufactures, agriculture and stock
raising, and the lumber trade, will always be
the commanding interests of that portion.
East of the Cascades there is very different
extent of country, throughout which the
chief interest is mining, with agriculture and
stock-raisng as important auxiliaries, and
only so much trade as the population require
inland, the outgrowing traffic being confined
almost exclusively to the carriage of gold
dust and treasure With interests thus dis
similar and opposite, there is certainly no
good reason to be given why the people of
Eastern Washington should be Joined and
held in the same domestic government with
those of the Puget Sound and lower Column
bia portion. It is absurd to suppose that
farmers, great lumber men, manufacturers,
seamen, and marine commercial men can
suitably, intelligently, or properly legislate
for miners it lis equally absurd to expect
mining people to 6tly legislate for commune
ties like those on the lower Columbia or on
Puget Sound. There is every reason, then,
why that portion of Washington Territory
east of the Cascade range should be separated
from the portion west of that range. and
erected into government adapted to its Pc
culiar character. Reason and justice require
the change to be made.
With regard to the proposed division of
Idaho Territory, however, the same reasoning
will. not hold good. Northern Idaho, like
Southern idaho, is essentially, almost exclu-
sively, mining country with only such few
and scattered tracts of farming and grazing
land as are presented in the valleys of Boise
and Payette-about equal to the supply of
the mining camps and towns in their imme-
diate vicinity. The of division proposed
for Idaho is, we believe, at Al degrees and 40.
minutes north latitude. This wopId throw
into the portion proposed to be cut off from
Idaho, the new Lemhi country, and all above.
it, embracing Idaho, Neg Perez and Shoshone
counties. These, like. the counties left to
Idaho, Of Boise, Alturas, Ada, Owyhee, and
Oneida, are chiefly mining counties, Shoshone
being the exception North, as Ada is the ex-
ception South-it being mainly an agricul-
tural region. The population of Idaho, as
it stands, is not too large for one Territory.
It is barely enough for two. 1t needs more
instead of being able to stand reduction.
True, it is hardship upon the people of the
northern part of the Territory, to come so
great distance to the Territorial capital.
But in the proposed new Territory the same
hardship will have to be endured by some of
the population, let the Capital be located
either at Lewiston or Walla Walla. If at
Walla Walla, there would be the objection
in mild form we admit--which now pertains
to the domestic government of Washington
Territory-the combination of the farming
interest against the mining interest; for
III. VT.IIo ~, - 49,, 80 r -.