Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-10
MOVEMENT FOR
STATE DIVISION
IS PLANNED D
Organization Is to Be
\ Formed
Sentiment Appears Almost Unanimous
In the Southland, and Secession
lists Are Only Looking for
a Strong Leader

There Is q probability that within the
next two weeks steps will be taken for
the formation of an organization hav-
ing for it's object the agitation of state
| division.
Investigation has demonstrated that
| the sentiment in the south Is practically
| unanimous in favor of division, and
the opinion has been expressed many
| times that all the movement requires
| is leadership.
| AS vet no bne has volunteered to take
the lead in the movement, and the plan
now Is to compel some man of promin-
ence to lay aside for the moment his
feeling of modesty and accept the honor
of becoming the leader of q movement
which gives promise of being the most
popular of any idea that has been
evolved in the interest of Southern
California.
1t is believed by several who have
expressed themselves in favor of state
division that a plan of starting an or
ganized movement will be formulated
before the end of the week.
Native Sons Favor Division
The only opposition to division comes
| from native sons, who say they would
regret, from a sentimental point of
view, to seeing the state divided, al
though the admission generally Is made
that for other reasons 1t would be bet
| ter for the south to break away from
| the northern portion.
There are many even among the ma
tive sons who are heartily in favor of
division, regardless of sentiment, which
| they say counts for little when 1t is
considered that the native sons of the
north regard their portion of the state
as "the real thing and practically the
whole of California.
M. Lissner and John G.. Mott, who
are native sons, yesterday declared
| themselves in favor of division Mr..
Lissner said that the northern and
southern sections of the state were un-
like in every respect, including climate,
topography and products, and that even
| the people were different in thought
and tastes. He declared that the feel
ing of jealousy and non-interest of the
north for the south was increasing and
that it would continue to increase as
the years go by, and as a result the
sooner the state is divided the better
it will be for both sections.
Says 1t Is Bound to Come
"State division is bound to come, as
sure as fate" declared John G. Mott
you will find all the business mer
lined up in favor of making a separate
state of the south. They say the
| native sons are opposing division. Nov
1 am a native son, but that does no
prevent me seeing the future of state
division. The order, as an order, is no
opposed to division. The native SOM
will look at the proposition as one OF
policy. Most of them, / am sure, will
see the desirability of giving Southern
California the separate government II
should have"
| ~
tional Bank of Commerce; said:
"Emphatically am in favor of state
division. There is absolutely no SYM
pathy between Northern and Southern
| California. The sections are as diff
ferent as though separated by 100C
miles. The north does not realize the
Importance of irrigation to the south
any more than the south comprehends
the north's dilemma of flood water and
the disposition of 'slickens.' In our
efforts to do things for irrigation we
Up there they have their own ways of
using water. There are good business
reasons as well as political reasons why
the state should be divided"
Division of Virginia
| Bascom Stevens, who took a prom
inent part in the agitation for state
|
day said regarding the division of other
states:
II wrote to the secretary of state of
West Virginia and told him a speaker
here had said the Virginia state di-
vision was only war measure. He
wrote back saying the people of West
ern Virginia for forty years had been
hoping for division and the war simply
afforded means to that end. The sew
| -, Tra
| two border counties-Berkeley and JEFF
ferson-that had been left in Virginia,
voted, with the consent of Virginia, to
become attached to West Virginia.
"This was done and the counties were
accepted by West Virginia. Then Vir-
ginia applied to the United States SUI
preme court to compel a restoration of
the lost counties. The court decided
that the change having been made by
popular vote, by consent of the state,
the action must stand. 1t is folly to
say there are no precedents for state
division.
vermont was cut off New York in
1891. Maine was formerly part OF
Massachusetts,. Kentucky was taken
off Virginia, having been formerly
kentucky county Tennessee was
sliced off North Carolina. For two
years the people of Tennessee had con-
Quoted what they called the state OF
Franklin levied and collected taxes
until the North Carolina authorities
suppressed the commonwealth. Ala
bama and Mississippi originally were
parts of Georgia. The last division
was that of Virginia. Now there are
geographical. political. commercial and
social reasons why California should
be divided"
Observation-Disclosures