Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-04-28
THE PANHANDLE OF IDAHO.

A Washington Territory newspaper, pub
Ished at Olympia, has had the temerity to
attack the subject OF the annexation OF
Idaho in the following vigorous ann
The protest from the Cnur d'Alene mining
region against the annexation of the Panhandle
of Idaho to Warrington Territory, is the product
Of old Montana politicians. W. H.. Clagett, who
was on the committee to prepare said protest,
and doubtless wrote the whole matter, was for
merly a delegate from Montana Other names
signed to the protest we recognize as old Mon
tanians. There is reason in their action. Ceur
d'Alene mines were first located by citizens of
Washington Territory, who were forcibly and
wrongfully dispossessed of them. Who were de-
feated in the court by fraud and COLLISION. As
one ofthe citizens of Washington, we can only
say, that, except W. H. Clagett and a few others,
those Montana voyagers have our permission to
return to Montana. The Territory naturally be-
longs to us, and We should have tt,
Montana found these so-called voyagers
very good citizens, honest, earnest, intelli-
gent and law-abiding. We would be very
pleased to welcome them back, together
with the splendid region which they have
developed and brought to the attention Of
the world. But we will let them speak for
themselves. The Ceur d'Alene Record
replies to the foregoing as follows:
As an example of Immaculate gall we are lost
in admiration of the foregoing from an Olympia
paper of recent date. 1t contains some news to
us. We had not learned that citizens of Wash
ington Territory were defeated in our courts by
fraud and collision, nor did we know that they
were wrongfully dispossessed of their property.
We had always laborered under the impression
they had wrongfully attempted to dispossess
every one but themselves of their rights in this
and that it required a decision of a just
upright.court to undo their nefarious work. ]
It may be the fact that the Panhandle belongs |
to Washington naturally, but just why, we have |
been unable to learn. Here we have been for the /
past two or three years, supposing that it
belonged to Idaho. but desiring that it might /
belong to Montana. but this settles it. If we
belong to Washington why we have nothing now
to do but accept the situation with the best of
grace possible under such distressing circum-
stances. We are in a state of deep depression,
md ready to grasp at any straw that offers.
Hope gives but a faint glimmer of promise, and
hat is that the Olympia Oracle is untrue; Con
,ress and the people of the Panhandle may pos
IDLY have some voice in the matter. We shall
wait in fear and trembling the final result
which will demonstrate which utterances shall
,e considered excathedra, those of the Olympia
beet or Congress.
The people of the Panhandle of Idaho,
laving assembled in mass convention, de-
ermined unanimously that they would
refer to be annexed to Montana. They
ave good and cogent reasons for their
hoice Il issued an appeal to the peopl
t Montana to assist them in obtaining
heir desire. Then they exercised the Con-
withdrawing right OF petition and
Congress to annex their section to
his territory. There does not appear to
e any good reason why their petition
hould not be granted. |,