The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1910-12-09
A QUESTION OF THE HOUR.

During the campaigns prior to the
tion the subject of county division,
that has confronted the people more
or less virulent form for several years,
was almost wholly eliminated, leaving
the impression that this vexed apple of
discord would not be cast before the
public at the present time, nor come
up before the approaching session of
the legislature, but bobbing up like
Banquo's ghost it gives promise not to
down until the division of the county
is accomplished, or the movement is
squashed through the force of public
opinion. 1t is evident, however, that
there is steady drift of sentiment in
favor of division at the present time
where only few months ago any ref
erence to the subject was denounced as
untimely, inexpedient and undesirable.
The residents of the Methow valley,
waiting until the choice of legisla-
tive candidate had been decided, have
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and boldly declared it their intention
to secure division of the county this
winter, if it be possible to induce the
forthcoming legislature to pass the
necessary bill. The territory to be
incorporated in the proposed new coun-
ty is that portion of the west side OF
the old county embraced in the basin
and water shed of the Methow river.
From the very nature of the country,
its isolation from the balance of the
county by a natural barrier in the
shape of an almost impossible chain OF
mountains, no fault can be found with
the people of that locality for desiring
and demanding separation from the
parent body They are entitled to
peaceful secession, and that is the way
the people of this part of the county
feels about it providing that at the
same time an east and west division is
conceded, thus cutting the present enor-
nous county into three parts. de-
mand for such division has long existed,
the reasons for such a division are
stronger now than ever before, and
when the knife is once applied it is
much easier to finish up the job of am
putation at one and the same time
than to slice up the remains piece
meal. If the Methow valley is to be
organized into a new county this paper
favors an east and west division upon
the lines suggested several years ago,
throwing some 80 townships into the
northern county.
The old hue and cry of increased ex-
pense is bugbear that has lost its
terror. 1t is demonstrated beyond
room for cavil that the northern por
tion of the county would be far better
off set aside as county by itself, bear
ing all the expenses of separate county
government, than under existing con-
ditions. At present it requires an army
of deputies to transact the business of
the several county offices, and the por-
portion that the north end pays toward
meeting this expense would liquidate
the salaries of officers of new county,
and leave a healthy margin besides.
So far as taxes are concerned they are
now about at the limit of what can be
levied. They could not be higher I'M
der separate county government, and
the chances are they would be very
much lower. What is more to the
point, and should especially appeal to
the property owners of the north end,
is that they would have outward and
visible evidence of the disposition of
the money they annually pay in as
taxes in the way of road and public i'm
provements, should division take
place. AS it is now what this part of
the present county contributes in the
way Of taxes is out of all porportinn to
the benefits derived from the distribu-
tion of the said taxes, as is apparentin
the condition of the highways of this
locality, and the very prospect of a
betterment of the roads should be an
incentive for universal demand for
division.
1t is all very we'll to sing the praises
of grand old Okanogan as she is. The
writer has been playing on that string
for fourteen years. His faith and pride
in the county is not jot less today
than the first time he hit the high note
in the hozanna. But he realizes that
its very unweildly size is the source of
much expense, unsatisfactory govern
ment and unavoidable neglect of re-
mote sections. A division of the coun-
ty would not reduce the value OF the
lands, or detract from the Importance
of the various resources of this upper
country. 1t would tend to hasten the
settlement and development of this
whole country, and insure public i'm
provements keeping pace with the gen.
eral advancement. Divided as pro-
posed and there would remain three
counties vastly larger than the aver
age sized counties of eastern states.
There is sufficient population and as