Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1907-02-18
COUNTY Division
IS A CLEAN CUT CASE OF The
MAJORITY RULING.
will be Voted Upon in the House To.
morrow. After It's PASSAGE a
Majority of Votes in New Countv
Must Assent Before 1t Becomes
Effective.

When all is said anent the creation of
Grays Harbor county, it is simply case
Of whether the dog will wag the tail or
permit himself to be wagged by his eau
dal appendage.
The present county Of Chehalis con.
tains almost 1000 square miles of terri
tory, and nearly 10000 inhabitants. The
proposed division would give the new
county population of about 25, 900, and
leave Chehalis with $1,000, making two
strong counties, whose interests appear
so diverged as to preclude harmonious
political body.
Populous Grays Harbor has for mum.
ber of years been at 90 great an expense.
in time and money, each year in the
transaction of its business at an isolated
county seat that the cost to this section
OF the division will be saved in few
years.
The opposition to division comes from
several interests, as we'll as from mis-.
conception OF the results that will follow,
the latter forming vast majority of the
opponents.
Opposition from Montesano and vicini-
ty is natural for obvious reasons, as is
that OF holders of large bodies of timber,
who fear the development of the vast
area of agricultural and grazing lands in
the new county will add to their taxes
by the building of roads through their
holdings, and that the settlement of this
region would enhance their losses by
fire.
The matter of division was forced upon
the Grays Harbor country by the at.
tempt of the Montesano Boosters tc
build 100000 court house in that city
within 30 days after majority Of the
votes OF the entire county had voted tc
remove the county seat to Hoquiam
This could but be construed as the intent
OF that city to 80 firmly anchor the court
house as to force the people of Grays
Harbor to continue to pay the present
tribute, in time and money, for the
transaction of their county business.
That this should be resented is only
natural, and should have been antici-
pated.
The cry in some quarters that the
movement is a political game, and is not
approved by the people of the new coun-
ty, is misleading. The division of the
county cannot be effected without con-
sent OF majority of the voters in the
new county, as the bill provides that
alter its passage petition signed by a
majority of the voters of Grays IIarbor
county, as shown by the last election,
shall be presented to the governor re.
questing proclamation to the effect that
the new county has been created. The
petition shall be transmitted by the gov
ernor to the superior judge of the judicial
district adjoining Chehalis county, and
said judge shall proceed to satisfy him.
self that the petition contains the requi-
site number OF bona fide signatures. The
judge shall also determine to his own
satisfaction that division will not reduce
the population of Chehalis county to less
than 1000, and that the new county
shall have at least 1000 population. The
judge may, ii he feels SO disposed, cause
an enumeration of the old county to de-
termine the population. If the Judge
finds that the laws of the state governing
division have been complied with, then
his findings shall be transmitted to the
commissioners OF Chehalis county and to
the governor, who shall at once make a
proclamation declaring the county of
Grays Harbor duly established.