Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-02-14
NOT ONE In FAVOR
OF NEW COUNTY
The Press Extensively Conn
ments on the Political Schemes
to Cut Counties in Parts and
Form New One.

To all appearances there will be a
number of new county bills in addi-
tion to the plan to divide Forest,
Marinette and Oconto counties and
create the county of Stephenson. the
bill for which made its appearance
today in the assembly. The promo
ters OF the plan seem to have been
lmbued with the idea that perhaps
the naming of the county after
Stephenson would serve to neutralize
his opposition, but the local members
assert that the "Grand Old Man" of
Marrlnette is not to be caught by
such method. Peculiarly, in all this
attempted work of new county con-
struction, the territory affected seems
to be part of the political bailiwicks
of Lieut.. Gov. Connor. This is es-
pecially true of the Forest county
scheme, and now comes another plan
having its birth and impetus at
Marshtield, the home of the lieuten-
ant governor.
This particular scheme is older
than the memory of Stephenson S
political animosities, for it had it's
birth way back in the early seventies,
when the plan was to detach territory
from Clark and Marathon and create
a new county. Then Marshfield
commenced to grow and become the
business metropolis of that section
and looked with hungry eyes upon the
rich and ever developing farming Sec
tion surrounding it. Men planned
the scheme and died and were for
COTTON, but the proposition still lives
to burst forth biannually when the
legislature meets. On its merits
there never was a new county prOpo-
sition ever projected for which SO
many reasons could be advanced, but
somehow the legislature never
thought so, and bill after bill was de-
feated by the stronger interests
political-which centered at Wausau.
Neillsville and Grand Rapids. In
more recent years the need of new
county has abated somewhat by the
fact of new railroad extensions which
make visit to the various seats
within the limit of three days travel.
In the olden time it was different. 1t
is likely that the plan will be pre-
Sented at this session i'm the form of a
bill.
All this is significant, because it
plac 2~Lieut. Gov. Connor between
two fires. His home interests the
men who stand by him, want the di-
vision while the great majority of the
legislator whose territory is mussed
with, stand opposed to both propo-
sitions. The question is, in view OF
this situation, what becomes of Con
nor? He denies and says without re,
servation that he has nothing to dc
with the proposition and deties any
one to prove that he has approached
any senator or assemblyman in favor
of any division scheme, nor does he
intend to embroil himself with mem
bers simply because his territory is
affected by the propositions. In the
meantime the papers of that section
are filled with arguments favorins
the creation of the new counties an6
this is especially true of Lieut.. Gov
Connor's home paper. The effort has
been made to drag him into the con
test, but so far he has kept out, ant
insists that he will keep out.-Vander
cook in Milwaukee Sentinel.
The citizens of Athens, many o
| whom the Record man has inter
viewed upon this subject since the re
cent agitation at Marshtield, are to ;
man opposed to any plan whereby th'
portion of Mara thon county surround
ing Athens is taken from said county
Marathon county has finely equipped
set of county buildings, located in ;
city that is more accessible and will
Athens is on far more fraterna
basis than is Marshfield. The tax
payers of this section will not StanC
for new set of county buildings, al
entire new set of officers, the eXpenS'
concurrent with the establishment O
a new regime. No advantages cal
possibly come to western Marathon
county from the proposed union. Th'
citizens of Athens shall look to Sen
ator Marsh, of Neillsville, to Oppose
any petition for the formation O.
such new county that may be brought
before the legislature at Madison.
| Athens Record.
When it comes to splitting off the
northern end of Clark county
whether it be for Hammer or Owen
counties, and, by the way, in point OF
proportion Owen has it all over Ham
mer county, Clark county should put
Qp wv SANAo "
towns is one of its most fertile and
productive areas, and the rapldlty
with which it is forging to the front
makes it imperative that it be re-
tanned in the present county OF Clark
I-Neillsvilie Times.
Many years ago the residents OF
eastern Clark and western Marathon
asked and worked hard for a new
county: then it was possible to get to
either county seat on business and
get back in less than four days, and
if you had much business it took
longer. But we were turned down.
After the Northwestern railroad
crossed Marathon to Marshtield and
the Omaha crossed Clark TO Marsh
field it was convenient to get to the
county seats and back in reasonable
time. and the new coun-y scheme
was buried so far as Colby was con-