, 1889-10-05
RATES or ADYRHTInING.
JSo =. CARROLL.
NEW COUNTIES.

The following letter from Col. W. d.
Pickett, of Meeteetse, in the Big Horn
basin, was received subsequent to the add
iournment of the constitutional conven-
ton. 1t, however. contains some thouGhts
with reference to the formation Of new
counties which bear on their face evidence
OF being the result of practical experience.
The letter is furthermore interesting be-
cause as the result of that experience 1t
places the constitutional limitation not
nearly 81 far below that fixed as might
have been expected.
The matter which the letter contains
will prove of decided interest to the legis-
lature of which body Col. Pickett himself
is a member and we therefore present it:
MEErEErsE, Wyo.. Sept. I Sit seems
to be the wish Of prominent citizens of
the territory 70 have inserted in the con-
stitution now being formed, a clause reg
ulating the formation of new counties;
that is, fixing the minimum OF taxable
wealth TO be possessed by the new county,
as well as remaining in the old county
from which it is taken. Although it is
thought much more desirable that this
important matter should be regulated by
some general law of the legislative assem-
bly,, the following views are submitted in
case the subject is acted upon by the
present constitutional convention.
Wyoming is at best a sparsely settled ter
ritory and will for many years not be very
populous. 1t is inlersected by numerous
secondary mountain ranges that frequent
Iy cut 10 two the existing counties.
These mountain ranges during several
months of the year are rendered i'm
passable by snow drifts AMI the several
portions OF the county are are as effect.
ually cut off from communication with
each other as if the Atlantic Ocean inter
vened. When the territory becomes pop
ulous, comparatively, these ranges will
eventually be county lines. The most
noted instances OF this state of affairs is
the Big Horn Basin, composed of por-
tions Of the counties of Fremont and
OObAc0hs a. h1AAiNlh EaAh VI Ilt
mont is separated from the southern part
OF the Owl ang impossible, practically.
at IN season except by buck board. The
western part ofJohnson is separated from
the eastern part by the Big Horn range,
almost equally as impossible. The center
of population of Northern Fremont is
$50 miles distant from the county seat,
Lander, and requires for a trip nine to
ten days time and expense of from $50
to $50. The western part of johnson
county is almost as far and requires al
most as much time and expense to reach
the county seat Buffalo.
That a county should possess sufficient
taxable wealth to support an economically
managed county government is the very
first consideration. The next considera-
ton is that it should lie in such a COM
pact form as to enable its citizens to reach
their county seat with as little expense
and delay as possible, In the more popu-
lous states of the Mississippi valley the
counties are so arranged that its citizens
can each ride to the equity seat, have a
few hours for business and return the
same day. That is the ideal county and
though it NAV be years before we can
hope for such a state of affairs in Wyo
ming as to make possible such ideal couu-
ties, yet it evidently is very desirable for
the prosperity of the territory that we
should approach that ideal as closely as
possible.
The most important part Of the prob.
lem to settle is the minimum OF taxable
wealth that the new county should pos
sess, as also the minimum that should be
LETT with the old county or counties from
which the new is formed. 1t would be
manifestly unjust and inexpedient to
cripple one or two of the old counties for
the sake of forming a new county, now
ever desirable it might be to the citizens
of the new county. Fortunately we have
ample experience in our own territory of
what that minimum has been. By the
tax assessment of 1883 the taxable wealth
of three of the counties of Wyoming is as
follows.
fremont-....""...- ......"....S ,604. lis
l,l90, 92T
Crook ........ ..-.--".-.-.... l,60S, 625
Or an average for the three counties of