The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-11-22

Truman Butler spoke next and said
that with the present increase In the
valuation of Hood River property the
residents here would soon be paying
most of the taxes and as 1t was large
ly through their own efforts that their
property had increased in value the
residents of the proposed new county
deserved the benefit Of 1t. Hood Riv-
er had done much to help Wasco
county, but Wasco had done very
little for Hood River and the time
hsd come to reap some benefits from
its own industry.
The talk, said G. d. Thompson,
about the valley getting along with
out the help OF the town and the re-
verse was out of the question. Town
and valley had moved forward hand
IN hand the this condition must con-
tinue to prevail in order to maintain
the prosperity of both.
The motion to appoint committees
to circulate the petitions was then
put and carried unanimously. The
chairman said the committees would
be announced later as he wanted time
in which to make a selection OF those
who could best serve In that capsci-
ty.
In a discussion that followed as to
possibl court expenses from criminal
cases, A. A. Jayne said that costs of
this nature had been far less from the
district comprising the proposedsnew
county than they had from any other
part of 1t and he had every reason to
believe that they would be- even less
in the future. That for several years
crime had been on the decrease In all
parts of the present county and that
the expensive murdel cases which had
taken so many thousands of dollars Of
the county funds In former years
were far less numerous. The western
end of Wasco county had produced
fewer of these cases than any other
part and 1t could be.expected with
considerable Certainty that it would
furnish fewer still In the future. The
matter of county division Mr.. Jayne
said was one that had been agitated
for the past IL or l3 years, but at the
time it was first brought up he did
net favor 1t. The time then was not
ripe for 1t. He thought now, howev-
or, the time had come to separate
from the parent county and set up a
local government which would be in
closer touch with its people its in
dustries. and its general welfare than
was now possible under the present
county government. The interests Of
the other sections of the present
county we're entirely apart and dis
tinct from those here. There was
nothing to take. people from this part
of the county to the other portions
except official business and this could
be transacted much easier to all con-
cerned il the new county was created.
He was certain that the affairs of the
proposed county could be administered
more economically and that any fear
of heavy epxense in criminal case 6
was almost groundless judging from
the p ,st and also discounting the fu-
ture which gave every evidence Of
bringing a class Of citizens here to
whom crime was stranger.
p. S. Davidson was asked to read
some statistics that had been received
In regard to the management Of Sher,
man county when4it was created and
which showed that at no time had th,
taxes been any higher after its separ
alton from Wasco county than before
although county buildings had beer
erected. money spent on roads, bIidg
es and for other purposes that were
necessary and which also showed thai
for several years they had been mucl
lower than ever before and that thu
county was prosperous and had biz
surplus in its treasury.
FL. M. Abbott was of the opinion
that the smaller the county, provided
it came within the requirements o.
the law, the better 1t could be admin
istered and that he didn't think thers
was community anywere that coulC
make better showing in regard t,
per capita wealth than the proposed
new county. In an estimate that b,
had made which be thought was con
servative he placed the amount a
$500 per individual. That there wa
no one who wanted work who oouldn'
get.it and that as far as he knew ther'
wasn't pauper In the whole district
Local self government was becoming
more prevalent and was admitted tt
be the most satisfactory.
M. X. Noble said he was thorough,
in favor of the new county bu
thought that the name ought to b
changed. This did not meet with ia
vor as the area comprised Is In tn
heart of the Cascades and many sal,
it was the best name that could be Sc
lected,
After some further discussion In tn
matter in which Roy Smith, p. M
Hall and several other gentle
men participated the meeting was ad
journed.