Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1881-12-15
ANOTHER STUMBLING BLOCK
10 DIVIDE eENTIMENr.

xA1V1A0N "a AA0ASA@S~ A0~SA
10 DIVIDE SENTIMENT.
The Olympia Standard gives ven
% the following: "A close observe
Of the course Of the Legislature ant
The temper Of its members the who'll
session. remarked the other day
that hs could see no good reason VIII!
community 80 diverse in its Interests
and feelings IS Eastern and Western
Washington, sh ,uld desire to be EN-
brsced under State constitution; tina
there was something more than geo
graphical division 10 separate the dis
tr;cts. This is a subject for deer
thought, before further steps are taker
10 secure Statehood"
This expression Of "clOse observer
would doubtless have escaped the no
tice Of the people had not the Walla
Walla Union copied it, and gave it an
endorsement in the following language;
.Why not divide Oregon and Wash
ington and make q great sea coast
State cut of the one and an Inland
Empire out of the other2 The scheme
= practicable and at first glance seems
advisable. One Of the strongest reas-
ons for carrying out this scheme is
found in the extract from the STANDARD
that there is IN irreconcilable diver
sity Of interests and feelings between
the inhabitants Of the Eastern and
Western portions Of Washington and
Oregon. The variance is as great as
the difference in the physical geography
Of the two sections. What have the
press and the people to say about tho
proposition"
The Union had tefore almost become
rsoonciled to Washington's becoming q
State with North Idaho in its boun-
diaries, provided that = new constitution
should be framed to suit the views Of
he Ua,on, and even urged that this
eould b effected at an early day by
proclamation Of tho President. We
ars. though perhaps ough, not to be,
surprised 1t this sudden change in the
Union. Bro. johnson knows that we
know aud others know bis full record
on the State question, and that by
many be has been considered untenable
and unsound. That many consider
that the mental atmosphere, on this
question, in and about Walla Walla
seems 70 warp his better judgment and
has made him uncertain and unreliable.
We nssd not review the history Of the
Uaio., under his management, to con-
Vince the most Of the readers Of that
paper, since the first agitation of the
STATE question, that he cannot be TT
lied upon ~ . firm friend Of . State
government for Washington q, an ear
j day. The Unions strong afinities
ior Oregon. and his trus. in the people
ef Oregon to do for Washington, and
especially Walla Walla, is too confiding
% induce him to believe that Oregon
or any Of her politicians or shrewd
business men would ever do anything
70 divest Washington Of any Of the
advantages which properly belong to
Washington. We arc not ready to
charge upon tho Union any mercenary
motives for entertaining his opinions,
bsyond hia desire to give advantages to
u city Of his adoption, Walla Walla;
and II in the confederation Of this State
question, no other people vera to be
provided for but the people of that city
aad IL immediate surroundings, togeth-
= With the people Of Portland, then
" might b. led to conclude that the
policy Of the Union was not objection
abls. But - We view the situation
tAars are other interests than those of
he people Of Portland and Walla
Walla to b provided for in this State
question. Ths Union asks, "what have
- press and the people to say about
~ proportion" to divide Oregon and
Warrington BY the Cascade noun tains,
making Ill west Of said mountains ono
State and oil east great Inland EN-
pirs. We, - one Of the press, answer:
lse-Ths proposition is wholly imprac-
eioabls from historical stand point
In The history Of all the States where
have we the precedent of the division
ce . State, save that of Virginia, which
grew out Of the necessities Of the late