Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1897-01-08
NEW COUNTY BOOMERS.

Now that the legislature is about
to convene the never-failing new
county" boomer is abroad in the
land again, worse than ever before,
and nearly every crossroads village
in the state wants new county
struck off so as to make it the
county seat. A correspondent writ
ing from Mitchell to the Prineville
Journal last week, 'bleeves that
Mitchell would make a good coun-
ty seat, if only new county were
formed around it, including all of
Gillian county south of Fossil.
He presents the very good and
picturesque argument that with
Mitchell as county seat, many a
dollar would be spent there, in the
saloons, ETC.. that now goes to Can
yon City, Prineville and Condor.
Loaded with a gripsack full ofsuch
argument, the new county boomers
will ask the Legislature to grant
them this "long-felt want"
We do not believe that there are
half a dozen men living in Gillian
county south Of Fossil who would
prefer crossing the treacherous,
unbridged John Day river and inn
passible mountainous roads to go
to Mitchell as county seat in pref
erence to Condor, which is only
half the distance and good roads
all the year round. Besides, Gil
liam county has not an inch Of ter
ritory to spare and has no desire to
be divided. There isn't a county
in the state with the seat Of govern
ment so convenient to all of its
people as in this county at present.
The following sensible advice
from the Oregonian will prove in
teresting reading to the new conn
ty boomers and rainbow chasers:
The legislature viii make no
mistake fit persistently refuse to
consider the schemes for county
division that will be urged upon
its attention by enthusiastic repre-
sentatives of towns aspiring to
county seat honors. There is not
in the whole state Of Oregon a
county that would be benefited by
being dismembered, nor is there a
section that would be made more
prosperous by assuming the burden
Of a separate county organization.
There are already several counties
possessing but small population
and not enjoying a sufficient reve-
nue. properly to support county
government. They were created
because of the great area of the
counties to which they formerly
belonged, and the necessity Of re-
ducing it SO that the people might
live within q reasonable distance
Of the seat of government. This
condition does not exist now in
any locality where there is suffi-
cient population to maintain sep
crate county organization. The
proposed new counties consist of
territory already within reasonable
distance of the present county
seats and enjoying fairly good com
munication by rail. The demand
for new counties is made solely for
town-booming purposes, to give
towns added Importance and the
extra business incidental to coun-
ty-seat. 1t is not worthy the at
tention Of the legislature, when SO
many important matters demand
it's consideration. Let that body
give careful attention to the assess
ment laws, the employment ofcon-
victs, the reduction Of salaries,
the better government Of our state
institutions, and other matters Of
general concern, and give new
county boomers cold shoulder.
A California exchange says:
"There is probability that in the