Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-03-16
.s.,eS OF WASHINGTON TER.
Am PART OF IDAHO
.,,,TORY A. 4 STATE

sno9H ANW
u.s,rORY As A STATE
,.-,u,al suggestions 10 the Sen.
81. ommitiee On Territories,
,x rHos. II. BRESTs, OF WASHINGTON
TERRITORY.
n, CHAIRMAN AND GESTLEMES OF
"coxxtrrYl: At the sugg-stiJn n ana
II. 1S, nf your sub committee III charge
h,ll IS. 673) Ito provide for the
Titan and admission into the I nlon
icIn', :, .te of Washington" beg leave.
form and ~ supplementary to
bav. said III oral argument, to
Welt We, a few facts and suggestions VI
.sIs,ion to that bill.
BOUNDARIES.
The boundaries of the state proposed
49,. hill include the present Territory
wWasbinpton and the northern part
.hs Territory of Ida o, locally known
the Pan handle Of Idaho"
bennington Territory comprises Az
of 6y gy4 square miles-G6,ss0 of
- and 3ll4 Of water surface, and l.
.Ms.,sfore 49, the smallest .erritory Ill the
Csited States.
The Pan handle, OF Idaho, is mar
oy strip lying between the eastern
housdary Of Washington Territory aud
,hs sumnit Of the Bitter Root Mount
INA and extending northward to the
a.;,,sb boundary. 1t contains about
.Cis11 sanare miles, the greater portion
= wbict is mountainous and unsu,cep-
.;his of settlement. 1t IS separated
.,om the rest of Idaho bv rugged,
,ockv barrier, tho Salmon River Mount
ans. utterly lmpassable except In sum
ner. and then only by pack animals; SO
,hat the inhabitants must travel from
Il 10 GOO miles in a roundabout course,
and mainly through Washington Terri
,o,s and Oregon, to reach their terrific
nsl capital, Boise City, while only A loI.
si,udinal line over IL vel plain separates
4 from Washington Territory. THIS
hill simply conforms to the boundaries
61sd by nature. which for want OF pr =
ur Geographical knO ledge Of this re-
non we're ignored by Congress III the
EXAMINATION of Idaho. Upon this the
Or,qonian, the leading newspaper of the
Pacific Northwest. in November. 1873,
contained this article:
NORTHERN IDAHO AND WASHINGTON.
Northern Idaho has been for some
Years very desirous Of being anne xed T.
Washington Territory. Projection of
the Pan handle IF Idaho, between Mon
tsna and Washington, to the line of
British Columbia, Is a most arbitrarv
division of territory. There is no com
municatiOn between Northern Idaho
and the balance of the Territory except
through Washington. All the relations
Of Northern Idaho are with Washington
and Oregon. and the political connec-
ton enforced by arbitrary boundary
lines with the body Of Idaho Territory
s most inconvenient one. At the re
cent election tho people of the northern
counties constituting the Pan handle
gave voluntary expression to their de-
nre Of annexation to Washington. Only
single vote was cast against the prop
osition. That one WAS III Lewiston,
where 276 votes were cast in the oppo-
ate character. All the other precincts.
~ far AS heard from, were solid for an
nexation. Congress should heed this
appeal. We have no doubt the delegate
from "ashington will do all he can to
iurther 1t. Northern Idaho il Just 40
much territory left over" after boun-
dary lines had been set. The adjust
nent proposed would not only be con
tributlon to geographical shapellness,
but would be great convenience to u
kotion which il rapidly filling with
population. aud which has nothing in
COMMON with the territory to which it
% attached.
/ As minated in this extract, the ques-
ion Of annexation to Washington fer
rtory. when admitted as a State. was
directly submitted to the people Of the
Panhandle, and WAS carried by an al
most unanimous vote. This was repeat
I'd in 1870 with a similar result; the vote
bslng l2l6 for the proposition and but I
against il.
The Territorial House of Representa-
syss OF Idaho, which assembled SON
aiterward, passed a memorial asking
Congress- to include this portion of Ida
ho with Washington Territory IN defin-
Ing her State boundaries: the measure
rsceiving the votes Of many of the rep
resestatives from the southern part of
Idaho.
Again. in the last election for Dele
cate, the issue was sQuarely made and
decided by a vote of the whole people
Of Idaho with the same result. MIR.
Alnslie the Democratic candidate, was
openly opposed to the annexation. while
NJ. Singlser. the Republican candidate,
wa publicly committed to it. The
question WAS discussed upon the stump
and IN the newspapers over the Terri
pN. Alnslie had been twice before re-
iumed to Congress- by decided major
~, and but for his position on this
question WAS deservedly popular and
he Territory strongly Democratic. In
ils principal county of the north, Nez
f.fce. Sineiser received llGO votes and
hnslle but 10; while Baird. Democratic
candidate for Sheriff. received 62T votes
%alnst a9 for Robbins. his opponent.
IN Idaho county, another, Singlser re-
SNed 4l2 and Ainsiie but 81: while
Modes, the Democfatio candidate for
soenff. received 3i5 against l24 for Will
Sn' his Republican opponent. SiBgi
S'smalority In the north was l4a3 and
ever l5U in the south-about 5000 in til.
shoie isrritorv, although the solid Nor
mon vote WAS for Ainslie.
/ Present clipping fron the leading
Wnof,N column Of local newspaper
ap"h this result, showing how the mat
~'Sss regarded by the people there;
''nr Nez Perce Ne,cs. official paper OF
i Nez Perce. Idaho. and Shos. one
counties.
AFTER THE BATTLE.
statehood and annexation may he de-
A!M oy the political complexion Of 'hs
SN congress- but the record which
VIII Idaho has made of it's views i
ssaaceable. Ii is the first substantial
,e'ory We have won-tEe first unanim
' expression of the desires of the peo
pc On this subject. Life long Demo.
a. Told us, with tears in their ewes
1 'ney had never before scratched
\, ~ aead OF a Democratic ticket, and
sey voted for SingiSer not because the,
8 n,, any regard for the man or for ths
! aVpies OF the party he represented
oecause they thought annexation
i more Importance TO the material
Rlss OF North Idaho than any mere
X b'UoIican or Democratic victory could
l ana the unanimity with which
Anu .ans idaho voted for " "Singiser and
ua.ion Is an eX PRESTON of opiniou
puatic and positive that no Amer
a. OonRress can or will ignore IL. II
Aiences the cavilings of those whf
"A. e asserted that annexation was onl,
sooby of a few and not the desir r.
a people. Even if the admission
ao,bSshineton Is delayed, We of tn,