Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-04-22
People Be DAMNED
ATTITUDE ASSUMED BY COMMIS.
SIONERS ARLAND and HOPKiAS.
The Most FIagrant Defiance of the
Public Since the Reign Of Abe
Ruef. The Attitude of This Duo
Is Capable Of Welding Rich De.
turns.

The attitude of the majority of
the board of commissioners Of Che
halls county toward public opinion
and interests has had no parallel on
the Pacific Coast since the reign of
Mayor Schmitz and Abe Reuf in San
Francisco, and if sinister motives are
attributed to them they have no kick
coming, as their acts are indefensible
either from the standpoint of the
welfare of the taxpayers or of an
honest politician who believes in the
sancity of party pledges.
At the meeting Monday, Mayor
France and w. J. Patterson, presi-
dent of the chamber of commerce.
on behalf Of the city of Aberdeen,
made the board an offer of free quar-
ters, for the new court to be estab-
lished on Grays Harbor, in the Alb
erdeen city hall free of cost until af-
ter the general elections in 1910,
and filed the following petition:
eve, the undersigned mayor and
councilmen of the city of Aberdeen,
following proposition, to-wit:
eff you will desist from creating
any new court house in the county
- ~-.~..,lis until after the next gen.
eral election in 1910 we will grant
f,ciD tn ho1I ,,rk <1o,.
the new law in the city hall at Alb
erdeen free of charge until after said
election and will at our next regular
meeting pass a resolution granting
the above right"
The petition, which was signed by
every councilman of Aberdeen, as
well as the mayor, received scant
courtesy by Commissioner Arland and
Hopkins, and no action whatever
was taken in the matter.
Commissioners Arland and Davis
had a little wOrdy war over, what
Davis alleged to be, failure to note
the disapproval of Mr.. Davis to the
dual court house scheme, in the
course of which each cast reflec-
tions upon the veracity of the other.
Davis wanted his disapproval noted
in the minutes, but he wanted in
vain, the alliance, offensive and de-
fensive, between Arland and Hop.
kiur giving Davis about as much
usefulness on the board as an Indian
totem.
The court house scheme is not the
only people-defying, ante-election
pledge-breaking action Of this duo
At the Republican county convention
in 1908, that party pledged its COM
missioners to the cruising of timber
lands for taxation purposes, and, in
line with that platform plank, Com
missioner Davis introduced Monday
the following resolution:
"Whereas, Chehalis county Is one
of the largest counties of the state
and has an immense amount of tim
her and large numbering interests;
and whereas the timber lands in Che
halls county have been and are now
very unequally assessed owing to the
lack of knowledge of the amount OF
timber upon specific tracts; and
Whereas, This has led to great
inequality in taxation in that heavily
timbered lands have not borne the1l
Just proportion of taxes, and sparsely
timbered lands have been assessed
too high; and
Whereas, The Republican party al
the county convention held during
the year of 1908, passed a resolution
endorsing the proposition of having
the timber lands cruised, making II
one of the issues of the last cam
paign;
Now, therefore, believing 1t to bt
for the best interest of all the peo
ple of this county that said timber
- = Ne cruised so that In the fu
, ture the county assessor can place
,,. fair and equitable assessment
upon these lands Che not having beer
able to do so heretofore), be 1t
therefore
"Resolved, BY the board OF count!
commissioners of Chehalis county, II
regular meeting assembled, that WI
ough and systematic cruise OF al
the timber lands of said county ant
that the proper steps be at once tax
en- to carry out the above foregoing
resolution"
The resolutions were voted dowr
by the allied duo, Davis as usual vot
ing alone. How this action is taker
in the county, we will permit th'
Grays Harbor News-a paper tina
supported Mr.. Arland-to tell, which
it does as follows:
County Commissioner G. w. Ar
land was elected on platform pledg
ed to a cruise of the timber lands o
the county. Had he not so pledged
himself it is more than likely n