The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1910-05-20
new LINE PROPOSED
Commercial Associations Of Pendleton,
Athena and Weston Enter Contest
to Retain Territory.

Recognizing that the Milton-Free
water people will never be satisfied
until they dwell in new county. the
commercial associations of Pendleton.
Athena and Weston have taken up the
work of initiating new bill by pc
tition which will have for its purpose
the only equitable division of territory
that will be justitlable and satisfac-
tory to the majority Of people in He
lix. Adams, Athena and Weston.
The matter of introducing the prop
osition of dividing the county on lines
other than those proposed by the Mil
ton divisionists. came up before the
Pendleton commercial association at
meeting held Tuesday evening, and
was attended by Attorney Wilson
and B. B. Richards of this city. This
meeting was called only after Milton
had refused to meet for general
discussion of th3 division question. as
proposed by Pendleton and Athena,
with the object of convincing the
divisionists that they had included
territory in their proposed county in
which great majority Of people are
residing. who are for various reasons
emphatically opposed to being drawn
into the new county.
AT the Pendleton commercial meet
ing, it was decided that the amioable
adjustment of the matter would be to
initiate a counter division bill. and
refer it 10 the voters Of the state, set
ting forth territorial lines that would
include the people who desire and
who have always wanted division, a
new county, and at the same time al
lotting to the people who are opposed
to division the privilege Of residing
in Umatilla county. With this object
in view, Will NJ. Peterson aud John
Vert, of the Pendleton commercial
association. came to Athena Wednes
day and put the proposition before
business men and memEers of the local
commercial association.
Mr.. Vert displayed on county map
the proposed lines of division. They
met with the appreciation of all pres
ent, with the exception Of Hon. O. A.
Barrett, who stated that he was op-
posed to the move for the reason that
he had some 5000 acres of land in
volved; that be had not been consult
ed in the matter. He questioned the
proposition, in that it was virtually
an acknowledgment that division
was wanted. and would so be con-
strued by the voters Of the state. He
asked why not give territory that
would be worth while, and not con-
fine it to "7x9 county, and left
the room with the declaration that he
would hare nothing to do with it.
On motion the commercial assooia-
tion unanimously went on record as
favoring the proposed lines to be en-
bodied in bill for reference to the
voters of the state. and a committee
composed of B. B. Richards, chair
man. DR.. Plamondon. s. f. Wilson
and F. B. Boyd was named to act in
conjunction with a like committee
from the Pendleton and Weston COM
mercial associations.
In the afternoon Messrs. Vert and
Peterson were accompanied to Weston
by memb bers of the Athena association
and the matter was laid before the
Weston people. and with slight
changing OF the north boundary line,
the Normal school town put both
shoulders to the wheel and named s.
A. Barnes, J. Fl. Olodius, CLARK Wood
and VIM. Mackenzie on committee
to assist in apprising the voters Of Or
egon just what the people Of Umatilla
county want in the matter of division.