The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-06-06

advertiser Correspondence, Copyright
by Frederic ]. Easkin-)

advertiser Correspondence, Copyrigh
| by Frederic ]. Easkin-l
SPOKANE May, 21-If the plans
which are being developed in the
country around Spokane do not mis-
carry. Miss Columbia win add new
| star to her crown and another state to
the Union. Between the Bitter Root
Mountains on the east, the Salmon
River Mountains on the south, the
Cascade Mountains on the west and
the Canadian boundary line on the
acres of territory cut off as complete
~ from the country beyond it as the
Caucasus cut off Southeastern Europe
from Asiatic Turkey and Persia, or as
the Alps divide Switzerland and Italy.
This territory belongs to three states.
Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The
people of northern Idaho cannot get
to their state capital without travelling
west through eastern Washington.
thence south through Oregon, and
thence east to Boise. The people east
of the Cascade Mountains in Washing
ton are said to be as much out of
sympathy with the other portion Of
their state as that part of Virginia
lying west of the Alleghanies was with
the rest of the Old Dominion at the
outbreak of the Civil War. And the
people of eastern Oregon find very
little in common with their own people
west of the mountains. But these
isolated portions of the three states
have everything in common. Their
interests are one, and now they want
to get together and form a state out
of their wonderful inland Empire.
There are nearly fifteen million acres
of Idaho territory in the boundaries OF
the proposed new state. The propon-
ents want the 18th degree of latitude.
which now constitutes the northern
boundary of Wyoming, adopted as the
northern boundary of Idaho and the
southern boundary of the proposed new
state This line will be extended to
the 10th degree of longitude, which,
in turn carried through to the British
Columbia boundary, will form the
boundary line between the states of
and Oregon and the pro-
posed new state. 1t is planned, too,
that the state of Oregon shall give
that part Of it's territory lying east of
the 10th degree of longitude and
south of the 45th degree of latitude
to the state of Idaho This territory
to approximately seventeen
million acres.
Under the proposed boundaries of the
several states they would have the fol-
lowing acreage: Washington. twenty
six million acres: Oregon, thirty-eight
million acres: Idaho, fifty-five million
acres: and the new state, thirty-seven
million acres. Under the present status
has forty-two million
acres; Oregon, sixty-one million; and
Idaho fifty-three million. Washington
would have to contribute sixteen mil
ion acres to the new state, Oregon |
six million TO ii and seventeen million
to Idaho and Idaho fifteen million to
The new state.
With thirty million acres, the |
new state would be larger than New |
York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island |
put together. Oregon would be called /
upon to give up about as much ter |
-itory as there is in the whole of the
New England states, and Washington I
would have to transfer enough TO make |
4 state larger than the combined ter /
'ftory of Maryland, Massachusetts,, and /
In property values oregon would have /
O give UP some seventy million dol /
ars, and washington about a like /
I all
han she would give away. In popula-
ion each one of the states would be
allied upon to contribute approximate
y one-fourth. though idaho would GET
Jack more than she contributed.
1t is proposed 10 call the new state,
lincoln. Other names have been sug-
.ested, but this one seems to meet with
he most general approval. Spokane
you'd probably be made the capital.
.lthough the people here say that the
natter of choice of a capital must not
,e considered now, that this must be
question left entirely TO the future
setting the new state established is
he only matter for consideration now.
Iowever, Spokane is right in the heart
f the territory mapped out, as Boise
yiu he in the heart OF the reformed
tate of Idaho.
There viii be a hard time ahead for
he people who propose TO establish
his new state. Three legislatures
must agree 10 the propositi>a, because
he Constitution of the United States
xpressIv sets forth that no territory
hall be taken away from state for
he setting up of a new state without
he consent Of its legislature And
fter three legislatures have assented
0 the proposition it will still remain
o.. Congress to say whether the ter
TORY thus ceded by the legislatures
hall be erected into a state or not. II i
Fill thus be seen that hercuiean legis-
alive Iabors are ahead of those who j
ave the task in hand
There have been numerous changes
{ boundaries in the Far West in the
asst fifty years. but all Of these alter
lions were made while the present
,stas were territories. At the time
,regan was made a territory there