The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1912-07-26
COUNTY SEAT REMOVAL.

There is a strong feeling prevailing
among the residents of this place that
Oroville should make an effort to Sc
cure the county seat of Okanogan
county, and that a movement should
be inaugurated at once, as it must be
in order to get the question before the
voters at the next general election. so
that in the event of failure to secure
division. the town will reap some ad-
vantage out of the agitation. If the
feeling that prevails upon this sub
ject is rightfully understood it is the
opinion of many that an effort should
be made for both objects, so that if
one should fail the other might ma
terialize. This talk of county seat re-
moval has prevailed in the community
for some days. but owing to the dis
cussiOn being concentrated. upon one
object was not sprung at the meeting
Monday night. There is no doubt but
that few residents of Oroville feel
that division may not be possible at
this time, and still they are against
the present location of the county seat
and believe that the requisite number
of votes could be secured to make it
possible to remove the county seat
from its present site to some point in
the OkanOgan valley. and what so
natural as. to hope that the site select
ed will be Oroville. with Tonasket for
the second choice. There is no doubt
but that there is much dissatisfaction
prevailing throughout the county over
the present location of the county
seat, and there is no question but that
a vote would favor removal If the
choice rested between either OrOville
or Tonasket separately and ConcOn-
ully, but should there be three or more
candidates for the honor in the field
COncOnully would retain the court
house. There are people who are tired
of putting up for the county division
game who would be willing to contrib
ute toward fund to carry on a coun-
ty seat removal campaign.
Whether such a contingency as a
number of aspirants for county seat
hOnOrs was taken into consideration
is not known, but a dozen or more
citizens of this place met in Judge
Gardeners office Tuesday morning, in
response to a hurry up CALL to con-
slider the proposal of entering a coun-
ty seat removal fight. Among those
present were Messrs Picken, Nickle
and Grinnell, of Tonasket, and J. S.
Hill, of SiwaSh creek. The meeting
was organized by the selection of Ed.
Davis as chairman, and Geo. J. Gardi-
ner as secretary. Mcssrs Picken, Hill
and Nickle. made statements before
the meeting to the effect that while
a strong opposition would develop
against county division, there was lit
tie division of sentiment anywhere in
the county against county seat re-
moval, and it was their opinion that
there is better prospect for bringing
about removal than carrying out a
plan of division. They all felt that
the place for the county seat was in
the Okanogan valley. While they did
not suggest Tonasket as the logical
point, they would be little more than
human if they did not entertain such a
sentiment. They must be given credit,
however. for saying that they would
rather have the seat of government
at Oroville than where it is at presA
ent. Several residents of the town eX-
pressed themselves as strongly in fav-
or of making an effort to secure the
removal of the county seat, and their
modesty did not prevent the express
sion that in their opinion Oroville
would be the proper location in case
these speakers it can be said that they
freely stated that if Oroville could not
secure the plum they would prefer to
see it go to Tonasket. 1t seemed to be
anything to relieve the present stu
alton relative to county seat location.
1t was the further sense of those pres
ent that whatever action the meeting
would take was not to be construed
as an interference with the movement
on foot for county division. as no con-
fict is intended To further a unini-
nifty of action between the two meet
ings the chair was instructed on mo-
tiOn, to appoint committee of five to
confer with the executive committee,
to be appointed by the chairman OF
the Monday night meeting, to canvass
the sentiment of the taxpayers of the
surrounding country and aScetain
their views upon the suggestion of
county seat removal. The chair ap-
pointed as such committee Messrs
Sigrist Hamisch, Picken, Nickle and
Hill.