, 1882-04-21
An OPEN LETTER.


TELLER: SIR
In Your paper of the 9th of April, in
answering an article of the Clarke .
County Register upon the Nalla
Walla convention Of 1878, you use the
following language:
1t is true that l.urrabce and Bradshaw did
oppose these northern counties IN lhe con-
ycntion, pretending that they were not op-
posed To including them il they could lie m
cluded. But the general Oolci "t me con
VUntiOn was that the real mouNe Ol thelr oO-
lection was that IL would give The Oaiance oi
power in the state to the people east Oh lhe
Cascades and defeat the ambition oi THESE
gentlemen Tor positions under the new slhtc
government.
The motives here imputed to Judge
Larrabee and myself III our opposition
to including North Idaho WITHIN the
new state are OF such mean, selfish
and unworthy character that to remain
silent would imply confession OF guilt,
and therefore, III my own behalf, as also
in vindication OF Larrabee who Is not
now resident here, and probably may
never know that such an uncharltaule
thought as this language presents was
ever entertained by any one, claim the
right TO present the facts as they occur
reu, dui pei lhiu AouoohAho t" w
judge.
The Washington Territory Legisla-
ture had at the session OF 1871 passed
an act to provide for calling conven-
ton of delegates, to be elected by the
people of the Territory, to frame con-
stitution for the State of Washington,
and to provide for submitting the same
to the electors of the territory for adop-
ton or rejection. The only reference
to North Idaho is contained III the
eleventh section, and is in the following
words:
That the counties of Idaho, Shoshone and
Nez Perces, in the Territory OF Idaho, are re-
Qupsted 10 elect Il delegate TO sad convention,
who shall be II memOer OF said convention
with the privilege OF the floor, but shall not
be entitled to Il vote, and the sum OF two
hundred dollars is hereby appropriated Us the
compensation OF said delegate.
That it was the intention and design
of the Legislature that the convention
would devise some means whereby the
three northern counties of Idaho should
be acquired is manifest and undoubted.
But how was that to be done? This was
the most difficult question presented to
the convention. The convention had
no power to legislate, and the constitu-
ton had no force until ratified by Con-
gress. Two plans were presented; one
that of framing constitution for Wash
ington in accordance with its present
boundaries, and presenting along with
our petition for admission q petition
setting forth the isolated position OF
North Idaho unless incorporated with
us; the other, the plan that was adopted
a AI,n Il of hn
territories of Idaho and Washington,
established by Congress, and undertak-
ing to carve out state with sucn boun-
daries as we might conclude were salts
factory to us. For the former at
the outset, were A. s. Abernethy,
President, OF Cowlitz, o. P. Lacy, OF
Walla Walla, G.. III. Steward, of Clarke,
Ii. b. Emery, of Kitsap, l.. B. Andrews,
of King, Q. H. Larra6ee, of Island, b.
+. Dennison, of rhurston, Edward 81
bridge of Whatcom, and myself. For
the latter plan were: j. V. ODell, OF
Whitman, W. A. George, of Walla
Walla, =. NJ. Gilmore, of kickitat, 5. NJ.
Wait, of Columbia, +. Henry, OF Thurs
ton, and ID. b. Hannah, of Pierce.
Subsequently Judge Dennison changed
w UuC ldUlCI p1unS lOuflbS otlO SObfSh
ton as eight in favor of restricting our
boundaries, unless Congress would first
consent, to seven for including the
counties mentioned in Idaho. Thus the
vote stood until on the morning
of the last working day of the
sitting, Mr.. Lacy changed his mind,
moved reconsideration, voted for in
cluding North Idaho within the boun-
daries, and it was so included by vote
of eight to seven. Was it corrupt and
vicious motives that actuated ali these
men to oppose your plan? And how
could the convention have general be-
lief that corrupt motives actuated us,
when nine out of the fifteen members
had Large part Of the time acted with
us, and on final vote you had ma
jority of only one? The thought never
occurred to me that any memDer of the
convention was looking through the Wis.
ia of years that must elapse before We
could be admitted, and planning for his
selection to an Office. 1t seemed to me
tina it was with other and different mo.
tives that we were seeking to form q
state. We of Puget Sound felt and
still feel that for the want of political
power in Congress, railroads were and
are being diverted from terminating on
our shores, and the general d,v,lop-
ment of this part of the territory was
being postponed for generation. We
were and are in leading trings, and de-
sired the rights of self-government and
the privileges Of citizens. There were
then, and are now, innumerable reasons
pressing upon the people Of this section
OF the the territory causing them ear
| nestly IN desire tn throw off the territo-