The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-10-11


II the congress of the United
States should, by any chance,
pass bill that has been lying be-
fore it for action for so years,
and If the supreme court of the
United States should declare such
action by congress to be legal
and constitutional, there would be
two states on the Pacific coast
within an area where there is now
but one. There would be conse+
quent great rejoicing in the south
ern portion of that state and pro-
portionate chagrin in the north
ern portion.
The area is California, strip
OF land on the Pacific ocean 200
miles wide, covering an area of
about $4,000 square miles.
The existence of that division
bill now lying before congressI
until recently all but forgotten
has been made a subject of heat
ed discussion from one end of the
state to the other, as a result of
the eighth outbreak in the history
of California, of bad feeling be-
tween the north and the south.
Just what is at the bottom of
the unbrotherly feeling that has,
for half a century, existed be-
tween the peoples north and
south of "The Techachapi," has
never been well defined. In the
eight instances in state history
there has always been some spe-
|cific condition or event that has
brought the i'll feeling to a head.
Whether it is diversity of inter-
ests and industry, the location of
the capital, sectional jealousy. a
combination of all, or something
entirely different, the fact re-
mains that the feeling exists and
so far as the south is concerned.
is at the boiling point right now.
The state board of equalization
started the trouble only a few
weeks ago, by raising assessed
valuations in southern California
cities-notably Los Angeles-in-l
creases amounting in some in
stances to 100 per cent.
Hardly had the action of the
equalizers been taken before
things began to happen. There
was an immediate protest. An
organization fbusiness men was
formed and before a meeting of |
that organization former State |
Senator Robt. N. Bulla advocated
In a speech the creation of a new
state to be known as Southern
California. He was greeted with
cheers. Other prominent South
ern Californians, including e. w.
Hopkins, assessor of Los Angeles
county, rallied to Bulla's stand
ard, and for the past three weeks
there have been numerous or
ganization gatherings and mass
meetings of taxpayers at which
state division has been warmly adj
vocated and ways and means dis
cussed. To put the agitation on a
definite basis a committee of ten
was appointed only a few days
ago. to take the proper steps for
calling convention to take the
matter properly before congress.
The principal arguments set
forth have been based on the con-
flict of interests between North
ture of taxes and Partially in dis
tributing state improvements.
Can congress or can't congress?
That is the question over which
the south ia struggling right now.
The question centers around that
bill that has been before congress
since 1859. The bill proposes to
divide California along the north
ern line of San Louis, Obispo,
Kern and San eBrnardino coun-
ties, about the line of the present
proposal. This bill was passed
by the legislature, voted for by
more than two-thirds of the vot-
ers of the state, signed by Gov.
Milton S. Latham and presented
to congress. At that time the
Civil war was threatening, and
the bill was side-tracked as its
passage was thought to mean the