Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1888-01-19
TO the Honorable the Senate and
House Of Representatives. in On
Oress assembled.

TO the Honorable the Senate Gnd
House Of Representatives. in On
qress assembled.
Washington Territory originally
Included what is now North Idaho. ln
1863 the 11T,h meridian was made the
dividing line between Washington and
Idaho, through the action of the then
delegate from Washington. In 1861
the Territory of Montana was organized
out of part o! Idaho with other terri
tory, making It's western boundary the
crest of the Bitter Root mountains.
This left the Northern portion Of Idaho
only about forty miles in width and the
greater portion Of this width was the
spurs Of the Bitter Roots-ruggcd and
unsuitable for settlement. Immediately
after these unnatural limits for North
idaho were fixed, efforts were made to
change them to better suit our condition.
1t was first proposed to form new ter,
ritory east of the Columbia river so as Ia
include North Idaho. This failing, We
then made efforts to be detached from
South Idaho aud become attached to
Washington. and these Efforts have been
persistently continued up to the present
time by petitions, from tho people,
memorials from our legislature aud that
Of Washington.
The legislature Of Washington in the
winter of 1878 passed an act authoriz-
ing the calling Of a convention to frame
a constitution tor the state of Washing.
ton. To that convention they invited a
delegate from the Northern counties of
Idaho with the view to include them
within the boundaries of the proposed
state. These counties responded and
unanimously chose delegate to repre-
sent them in that convention, and Wash.
ington paid the expenses of that delegate.
Tho convention assembled at Walla
Walla and framed constitution, includ-
ing within the limits Of the proposed
state, the Northcrn counties Of Idaho
('rhe same boundaries as proposed in the
Brents bill, and now proposed
in our mcmorials,) and made pro
visions for the submission Of said con
stitution to the people OF both Washing
ton and Nor,h Idaho. The people OF
both sections, at a special election for
that purpose, adopted the constitution by
more than two thirds vote Of all the
votes pollca, while, among all the people
Of North Idaho, only thirty,Cour votes
out OF neatly eight hundred were poiled
against the constitution.
Mr. Brcnts, then delegate from Wash
ington, in the succeeding congress, intro
duced bill to admit the state of Wash
ington under that constitution, but con
s,deraton Of that bill did not induce any
report from the committee, because Of
the deemed insufficient population.
The legislature Of Washington in
1872 passed memorial for enabl
ing act, to include the Northern counties
Of Idaho, and the lower House Of the
idaho Legislature passed memorial to
the effect that when Washington should
be admitted that the Northern counties
Of Idaho should become part of the
new state. Again, to convince congress
and the world that the people of North
Idaho had not changed in opinion, since
voting upon the constitution in the fall
Of 1878, the question was again sub
mitted to them at the general election Of
1880 and the result showed 1916 votes
for annexation aud only seven against
But tine still more suspicious came in
the election of 1882, when the question
became the vital issue, Mr.. Ainslie OF.
posing and Mr.. Siugiser advocating.
The people Of the North had called Il
convention for the purpose of nomir at
Ing an independent candidate who would
represent their wishes. When the con.
ventiou assembled Mr.. Sipsiser was
present aud by written pledge secured
the endorsement of the convention, he
then took the field and made an open
and square fight both North and South
on that issue. He carried the election
by majority, in the South of 1880,
while in the North he received a ma
joritY of 1443 votes out of 1853, that
were polled, giving him an asresate ma
jority in the territory Of about 5000,
showing conclusively that not only were
the people Of the north for it, but that the
South, as WELL were convinced of the
justice Of our cause and were willing to
do right and let us go.
Again iu 1884, MIR. Siugiser was
nominated by the republicans and Mr..
HALEY BY the democrats. Both con.