The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-07-24

THE WEEKLY GSTEI.IgGENCER.
Official Press of King County,
Wednesday, July "a, 1878
DIsAPPROBATION.

The San Francisco alta, which, as
the chief commercial journal Of the
Pacific coast takes considerate interest
in the North west, and Puget Sound in
particular, criticises adversely the
effort of the people OF Northern
Idaho TO slide into the Union
with the privileges of Stateship
10 conjunction with our Territory.
There is reason for its disapproval on
the ground of tending to decrease the
Senatorial representation of the Pacific
coast in Congress by diminishing and
postponing the prospects OF Idaho's
admission as State herself.
The Alta however, is lit:le amiss in
its implied assumption that the move
ment is in any sense q grabbing move
ment on the part of Washington Terri
tory. On the contrary it is the volun-
tsry seeking of the North Idaho COM
munity herself. Our position in the
premises is only that taken the good
man starting on q journey toward
the promised land, who said
"Come with us and We will do thee
good" The Aha's comments are as
follows:
The Convention called to frame a
State Constitution for the Territory of
Washington has been occupying its
time with the question whether it
should annex that part of Idaho north
of latitude 46o, thus adding strip $50
miles long and eighty miles wide to
the area OF 10000 square miles within
the present limits of Washington. The
main consideration in favor of this pro.
posed annexation is that it will increase
the population, aud give the new Con
stitution better show before Congress,
which will certainly not regard the ap-
plication Of $4,000 inhabitants for ad
mission to Statehood with very warm
favor.
Congress fixed the boundaries OF
Washington and Idaho, aud may take
offence at the attempt of one to seize
part of the area of the other Besides,
the example is not u good one, and
Washington herself is not out of danger.
Oregon has for years been trying to
capture Vancouver and Walla Walla,
and has come very near succeeding. If
there ID any mistake in the present
boundaries of Washing ton, it is that
they already take in to much. 1t
would be bettor if they included only
that portion of the Territory west Of
tho Cascades, leaving the region east of
that chain to form, perhaps. with Idaho,
or portion of 1t. new Territory.
The same mistake was make in Ore
gon. That State ought to have been
organized SO as to include nothing save
the country west Of the Cascade range,
which is an almost impossible line Of
separation between divisions, differen
In resources, industries and interests,
and for considerable part of the year
almost cut off from intercourse with one
another. If Washington should be ad-
mitted RS State with a large area east
of the Cascades there will be continual
wrangles between the two regions, dis
ttEbing public business in many ways
Besides, it is q sacrifice of the future in-
terests of our side of the continent 20
make such immense States, thus de-
priving the Pacific Slope of its fair
share Of representation in the Federal
Senate. AT present we have no cause
of complaint. as the population is scan
ty, but the time will come when We
shall need more Senators in proportion
TO our area than We will have, if our
States are to have 100000 square miles
each on the average.