The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-01-05

rot long after he war endef. ShA1 Al
effort vas r-a1e 70 erect a new capitoi
building az Albany. Syracuse was Close
~ identified with zhis 1aovement, think
ing fhzt II q separation was agreed upon
81 sosIld be the capital q one OF the nsS
states. win New York city me capital
Of the other. The question was settled
az thso tine BY AI5aey retaining its posi-
ton, and Il was thouEht all agitation for
a charge was a. an end when construction
On the neH capitol began. But Il again
eroppad cut tn 1874 through the New YORK
Wcrli, which Urged division OF the
ground that New York and Brooklyn were
obliged 70 bear two-thirds OF the burden
Of state taxation without fun representa-
ton either AT Albany or Washington City.
The Utica Herald. while disagreeing with
some OF the Worlds arguments. declared
the change would be 2 good thing. for the
stale was TOO large anyway. and all out
o. proportion 20 the smaller common
wsaIths that had entered the Union, and
the making of two states would give the
people larger representation N the
United States senate.
Gov. Robinson took the matter up and
seemed to favor division ca the ground
that New York city had the absolute right
to manage its oWn afairs. right which.
In order to overthrow Tweed. the rest
OF the state was sncroaching on The
New York Mail advocated the creation OF
two states because the city and country,
while once harmonious. were growing
more antagonlstic every year. Finally a
bill was introduced In the legislature ere
ating the new state Of Onondaga and leav-
ing New YORK city and the adjacent coun-
ties up the hudson river az far as the
northerly tine Of Putnam county TO eonsti-
tute the state OF Manhattan. The bill
vas discussed for some time, but Il was
finally abandoned. IL being remarked az the
time that however much the two states
might differ, when IL was pointed out that
by the change Pennsylvania would become
the first state IN the Union. Ohio the sec
oBd. Illinois the third and Manhattan the
fourth. the New Workers pride got the
better OF them, and the movement col
Iapsed. II then slept for twenty years.
when. ia Is55. the Troy Times took II up
on account Of the large fraudulent Demo-
cratic vote which had so many times over
come the Republican vote OF the interior
1t is rot probable that the present agi-
tation will amount to any more than have
previous discussions OF the question. What
the New York Mail said twenty years ago
Is probably true today, that city ard coun-
try are growing more antagonistic year
by year There Is no question. however.
that popular vote would now be against
separation. But a large increase of pop
uiation on and around Manhattan island
viii no doubt make the project one that
viii Inevitably come up for consideration.
When the territory that IS embraced in
what Is termed Greater New York con-
taIns one-haR or more OF the population
OF the state then IL is probable division
may be talked Of very seriously. ana II will
be the country and not the city which de-
siFes the change. The new constitution
has set limit upon the encroachments
OF the proposed greater municipality
around New York harbor by providing that
at no time. regardless OF its population.
shall this territory have more than one
half Of the state senator's and no single
county more than one-third. but there is
no provision which prevents greater New
York from having an overwhelming con-
troll OF the assembly, and large increase
OF population there would mean that state
affairs al Albany would practically be in
the hands OF the people OF the great city.
Such conditions would certainly make the
feeling between city and country no more
cordial than they are at present. and
though cutting up states. except in the IN
usual war case Of West Virginia. is with
out precedent. the conditions in New York
are such as 10 make division there not
impossible and perhaps very probable.