, 1884-03-08
RINGING SPEECH.
Al the Organization of Douglas County
J.W.AdRms Delivered the
Following.

FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, FRIENDS AND
CITIZENS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY: The
object OF this meet ing is TO you all well
known. To-day crowns the success OF
our efforts TO secure a separate organiza-
ton and seh-gOvernment in our local Rf-
fairs.
To-day witnesses the birth Of Washing
toms youngest child. Her fairest, most
beautiful and richest agricultural county
Is now about to secure a separate legal eX-
istence and take her proud position among
the other counties Of our commonwealth,
and she does so under the most favorable
auspices.
Some Of you were present at the gath
ering Of pioneers held at Bracken's store
on the 10Th Of October last, and well re-
member the action there taken, and the
commission you then gave me. OF that
trust / am here to-day to render an ac-
count, and, my mission performed, sur
render its fruits to you. And Of my
stewardship would say that in all things
have acted with an eye single to the old
proverb Of "The greatest good to the
greatest number" and 1 now take this
opportunity to assure you that II / have
committed any errors, they are errors Of
the head and not Of the heart.
In pursuance Of your instructions pro-
ceeded to Olympia, where our Legisla-
ture was in session, to present to them our
desire to have new county formed from
that part Of Spokane county lying west OF
the Grand Coulee and east OF the Column
bia. there formed our parent county in
a bitter fight over a division Of Spokane
county, which had already been at
tempted, and owing to the feeling then ex-
isting / was unable to fix the boundaries
Of Douglas county as we desired, and as
you had suggested before / started. At
the outset many Of the members utterly
refused to listen to any proposition for a
second division, as they were already
tired Of the bitter fight then pending over
the first proposed division, and the fact Of
our sparce population, and the small
amount Of taxable property within the
area Of the proposed county was brought
up as a strong argument against it. All
these objections had to be overcome, and
It was only after hard work and strong
persuasion that succeeded in having the
bill introduced at last, and had to make
personal pledge that the new county
should be economically managed in order
to secure the division. l, in your name,
and for you, gave the pledge tlat we
would make our county decidedly
the banner county OF the Territory
in this respect, and firmly believe that
the advantages OF having county organi-
zatlon OF our own would more than COM
OccasiOned, as / fully believe the time
saved TO our people in transacting their
public business will more than hundred
fold compensate for the additional ex-
penso, IL additional expense there should
be, but /, to the contrary, believe to be able
to run the business OF our county for less
money under an organization Of our own
than Il would cost us II we had to go to
Davenport to attend to all county business,
to say nothing Of the saving Of time.
Almost every county officer Is paid by
fees, and 1t will cost you no more to pay
the fee TO record deed at Okanogan than
than II would elsewhere; neither will It
cost more, nor as much, to serve u sum-
mons, or any other court process, than
to have a Sheriff travel Is miles before
reaching our county, and the same is true
Of all other business.
To have a county 1t was necessary to
have a county seat. had the bill desig-
mated "Oxanogan," 4" until the next general
election, when the legally qualified elect
ors Of the county have the power to say
by their votes where II shall be located
permanently.
Another measure was introduced in the
legislature which l believe to be Of vital
importance to Douglas county, and which
was In a large measure instrumental in
having acted on favonbly. have refer
ence 10 the nefu law giving eacn county
the local option OF having a herd law or
not, as might be the will Of the people, as
expressed through the ballot box. OF
this measure / desire to say a word.
Should we adopt this law for Douglas
county 1t might, at the outset, perhaps, be
somewhat OF a hardship to few who are
engaged in the stock business, yet be-
lieve the greatest good to the greatest
demand 1t. II is q statistical fact
that the fences Of the United States have
cost more money to-day than the total
value Of all the cattle in our broad coun-
try, and having lived in a herd law cOun-
try and seen II practically demonstrated,
believe II is what we need. And the prin-
ciple on which 1t is founded is correct.
The owner Of the live stock should fence
them with hertler, or otherwise, as 1t Is
the stock from whence comes the danger,
and Il is them that should be fenced ac-
cordlng h the laws Of equity. They may
destroy q neighbor's gram, but the neigh
boris grain will never travel over 10 the
stock mans herd and founder them. But
another cause presents itself to my mind,
and in view Of which think you owners
Of tho cattle on q thousand hills viii see