Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-01-20

egard to the county seat question
ppeared in the st. Maries Gazette of
riday and the view taken contains
much of common sense that we
live it in full:
Editor St. Maries Gazette: No
bne has seriously asserted that St.
iaries has a chance at this years
Election to win the county seat 1t
hoped that some years hence the
bounty may be divided and that then
st Maries will be a bona fide con-
ender for the location of the county
heat. The most that is now claimed
that St. Maries may act as a cats
baw for Rathdrum, burning her fing-
ers to secure Rathdrums chestnuts,
and receive in return promise from
the individual members of the Rath
drum committee to support, to the
extent of their individual votes, st.
Maries' future aspirations, because
no committee from Rathdrum has the
drum for years hereafter. Rathdrum
advises St. Maries to play the dog
in the manger and say to Occur d.
Alene, "If we cannot get the county
seat, you cannot ether" thus Rath-
drum can profit by the opposition of
the two towns that naturally should
H., gr,sy 4 lxr xyfy. To MI nd
Occur d'Alene Is it for love of St.
Maries that Rathdrum encourages
St. Maries to her own hurt? Or is it
because Rathdrum hopes to reap adj
vantage?
1t is alleged that Occur d'Alene, if
made the county seat now, would OPP
pose county division in years to
come, but that Rathdrum would not
do so. One mans guess as to future
years is pretty nearly as good as an
others. There is no foundation of
fact upon Shich to base such a
prophecy. Indeed, Rathdrum, has as
much to lose as Occur d'Alene, if not
more, from county seat standpoint.
Let us suppose, for argument, that
the county seat proposition could be
submitted only to the voters of the
north end of the county. Does any
one dream that Occur d'Alene could
be defeated by Rathdrum with vote
4 limited to such a territory? Is there
any sane adult in ST. Maries or else
where in the county who honestly
believes that, after using st. Maries
to further it's own interests, Rath-
drum would consent any more readily
than Occur d'Alene to a division OF
the county, knowing full well that
the north end of the present Kooten'
al county alone would make Rath,
drums case hopeless? Rathdrum'!
settled policy in the retention of the
in the years of the immediate future
is to f1atter and promise the various
towns of the south end of the presen
county to the end that they will max,
one sided alliances with it. Whel
the question had come up again AM
Rathdrum had failed to keep its fai
words regarding county division
might we not expect that town t.
make new alliances with Santa or ST
Joe or Fernwood or Harrison? Man
OF the older citizens of Kootena
county believe that we can expec
Occur d Alene to keep a politica
promise with reference to futur
county division quite as readily a
We can expect the same thing froI
Rathdrum
Is it not much better to make
settlement of this question alon
present natural lines looking chiet
ly to the comfort and convenience c
the inhabitants and taxpayers of thi
county as it is now constituted
Let us take care of the present. TIL
future will be taken care of when
arrives and becomes the present.
it wise to cross the bridge of futuI
possible conditions until it is reaehe,
Is not the st. Maries agitation
at this time so popular in Rathdrun
apt to put to inconvenience and di
comfort other towns in the south en-
of the county, the loss of who.
friendship and confidence St. Mari,
would regret when county divisiC
actually became a live topic? Sha
we invite the conviction that St. Ma
les is too selfish to consider the we
fare of her neighbOring towns? Til
to be too busy is a danger" is