The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1901-03-15
South Haven'S Map.

Attempting to break the force of the
convincing argument contained in the
map of the county that has been publish
ed in several of the county papers, an
argument needing but glance to show
the folly of locating the county seat at
the "jumping-otf place." that much be-
lauded burg, following in the footsteps
of its more alert rival, has also gone into
the map publishing business.
It's map is also map of Van Buren,
county, which is divided into two por-
tions by a line starting at the southwest
corner of the township of Hartford,
running thence northeast diagonally
across the townships of Hartford and
Arlington to the southwest corner of
the township of Bloomingdale, thence
east along the north line of Waverly and
Almena to the east county line.
Presenting this map to the people of
the county, our sister village of ravines
proceeds to count up the inhabitants
that live north and west of this line of
demarkation, and finds the number ac-
cording to its computation to be Ii, ,465,
leaving but l4,S09 inhabitants south and
east of the same line, and then triumph
antly exclaims, "3, ,636 in favor of South
Haven't" With equal propriety they
might have turned eastward six miles
farther south, and then, with exuberant
JOY, have pointed to a difference of 1888
and all "in favor of South Haven"
In order to arrive at its comforting re-
suit, the Tribune claims all of the town
ships of Bloomingdale and Pine Grove,
and the northwest half of the townships
of Arlington and Hartford. Some of this
territory is within a fraction of seven
miles of Paw Paw, the same point being
% miles from South Haven.
To illustrate: Ignoring fractions of a
mile, the township of Pine Grove at it's
nearest point to each place is 20 miles
from South Haven and only seven miles
from Paw Paw. At it's most distant
point, Pine Grove is 26 miles from South
Haven and but 10 miles from Paw Paw.
The average citizen of Pine Grove is %
miles from South Haven and only IL
miles from Paw Paw.
Take next the township of Blooming
dale, which at it's nearest point is IA
miles from South Haven and only seven
miles from Paw Paw. At the farthest
point, Bloomingdale is 20 miles from
South Haven and ii miles from Paw
Paw The average citizen of Blooming
dale is II miles from South Haven and
but IL miles from Paw Paw; and yet
South Haven unblushingly lays claim to
these two townships as falling naturally
within her jurisdiction.
Subtracting the population of these
two townships from South Haven's claim
and adding them to the territory con-
ceded to Paw Paw in the aforesaid divis-
ion, we have the following result:
South Haven 15,lSS Paw Paw 1S,0S6,
difference of 2,S9S in favor of Paw Paw.
But this is not all: A fair division of
the territory, according to their own
map, would be to start from their con-
ceded point, the south west corner of
Hartford, and run north -easterly to the
northwest corner of Bloomingdale,
which is equi-distant from Paw Paw and
South Haven. Such line would place
in the natural jurisdiction of Paw Paw
about one-third of the territory of the
township of Columbia, containing as
shown by the county map, III dwellings,
say 500 people. On Paw Paws side of
such line would fall all of the town
ship of Arlington except fraction in
the northwest corner, containing part
of the village of Bangor, go people ac-
cording to the census, and Ii dwellings ac-
cording to the map, say 125 people in all,
leaving on Paw Paws side of the line
1,315 inhabitants, 595 more than is con-
ceded by the South Haven map maxi