The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-07-09

tana, and attach it to Washington.
Bur this failed, and as results of all
these adjustments, which indeed are
palpable malformations. the bounda-
res of the three states were fixed as
they remain. The panhandle of Idaho,
l. should be stated-an awkward pro-
lection between Montana and Wash
ington-is the fruit of condition that
existed when the territory of ldaho
was formed; before which event the
strip" contained large population.
drawn thither by discovery of gold
and the new territory needed this pop
ulation. Therefore it was set off from
Washington and given to Idaho.
1t is a clumsy arrangement, beyond
dispute-this division of the old Ore
gon country. says the Oregonian. VAR
ious suggestions have been made dur
ing many years for its amendment
but no change that ever has been pro-
likely to meet the approval of the peo-
pie of the three states. Ideally, west
ern Oregon and western Washington,
similar in climate and physical feat
ures. should constitute a single state:
and the territory of the three-Ore-
gon, Washington and Idaho-east of
the Cascade mountains, should form
two more This great mountain range
is a barrier which makes the two sec
tons on either side of it entirely I'M
like The greatest factor in the diff
ferentiation of the nations of Europe
is the Alps. But for the Alps the his
tory of Europe would have been alto
gether different from what it is as we
read it. Great mountain chains are
great factors in the affairs of the
world.
A proposal comes from Spokane in
the form of a pamphlet submitted to
the Spokane chamber of commerce
by committee of that body jesignat-
ed as committee on new state" 1t
proposes for Encouragement which
would make four states of the three:
Washington and Oregon from north
to south cutting off part of the Great
Bend country, crossing the Columbia
near Arlington. Oregon, and meeting
the Oregon and California boundary
line in the vicinity of Lakeview.
Then from a point which their dia-
gram shows would be somewhere in
Wheeler county, Oregon, a line is
drawn directly east through eastern
Oregon, crossing Snake river in the
deep canyon below Huntington, and
continuing east through Idaho to the
summit of the Rocky mountains. Ore
CONS counties south of this line would
fall to Idaho; including Baker City,
Canyon City. Huntington, Burns, On
tario etc; and those north of it, In
Guiding Heppner, Pendleton, La
Grande, etc, to the new state, which
would extend northward to the Cana
dian line. The southwest corner of
the new state would be in some point
of Wheeler county, oregon: from
which a line drawn north to the Cana
dian border would be it's western
boundary. The new state. then. would
be formed of portions of Oregon,
Washington and Idoha. and the prin-
cipal towns in it would be Spokane,
Walla Walla, Lewiston, Pendleton
and La Grande
1t is a proposition for curiosity,
rather than for serious attention or
consideration. The proposed division
leaves large part of the dry" coun-
try to each of the coast states at
tached to the wet" If there is to be
any division it should be on the Cas-
cade range. Even this, however
would at present be impossible; and
it may be questioned whether it ever
will be possible. There are too many
opinions and interests to be consulted
To eviscerate states, redistribute the
parts and have members enough left
over to make one one state more-and
get the approval of congress. more
over, on the job-would battle political
anatomy and surgery many a year
Our states have been very awkward
ly made up: but we think they will
remain as they are-at least till after
some cataclysm, which cannot now be
foreseen.