Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-08-19
THE UNWILLING
TIMBER CRUISE
Majority Of Commissioners do
Not Appear in Harmony
With the Work
WASRESULT OF ACCIDENT
Historical Sketch of the Work
and the Causes Leading
to the Cruise

/ There was circumstance connect
! ed with the hearing of timber own
ers by the board of equalization last
week that was noticed and comment
ed on by most of the timbermen in
attendance, and that was the absence
Of Chief Cruiser j. A. McGillicuddy.
| The representatives of large timber
holders We're quick to remark this
; fact, as in all other timbered counties,
the chief cruiser attended all meet
ings of the equalization board, and
answered all objections that were
raised to the cruise. The absence OF
Mr.. McGillicuddy appeared strange to
the visitors. but not to those conver-
SAINT with the struggle of Chehalis
county to secure the cruise, extend
ing over twelve years, and the facts
connected with that work. The fact
is that Mr. McGillcuddy's presence
was not desired by the board, as will
be seen by Il b"ief resume OF the
means by which the estimation OF the
| timber was secured.
How the Cruise Was Secured
That the timber of Chehalis county
was crused this year is due entirely
to a political accident that threw
/ Commissioner Geo. l.. Davis out OF
accord with Commissioner Hopkins.
| For sixteen years the affairs of Che
/ halls county have been managed by
two men, constituting majority OF
/ the board OF commissioners. 1t has
grown into a custom for two members
10 line up" in such a manner that
whatever either of the pair desires
to put across is sanctioned BY the
other and the third ;HCW y is OF
about as much service TO the county
as a silver tea service would be to
a donkey.
For several years prior 20 1910,
Commissioners Hopkins and Arland
appear to have been SO lined up"
that the presence of Davis at the
meetings was only to be discovered
! by an examination of the minutes.
Now. this treatment was not at all
to the liking of the former chairman,
but. he had previous experience in
the lining up game himself. knew
how it was, and could not help him
self The election of Wilson in 1910
found the board in this condition.
Wilson was a democrat - elected
largely by republican votes pledged
to cruise the timber-and Davis and
Hopkins We're at loggerheads. Hop
kins was openly and uncompromsing-
" opposed to the cruise, Wilson pledg-
ed to make it, and Davis is a posi-
tion where he could do nothing un-
less he lined up with Wilson, hence
the cruise Had this accidental con-
dition not existed, the chances are
hundred to one. the timber of this
county would not have been cruised
in the next five years. For years
Davis had resisted all demands for
the cruise. and whatever credit is due
for it's accomplishment may be trac-
ed to this combination of circum-
stances
How II Was Made
After the consent Of Davis had been
given to the work, and J. A. McGilli-
cuddy appointed to take charge, the
matter was left entirely with Wilson,
who alone is to receive whatever
credit there is due from its accomp-
lishment Hopkins not only declined
to aid, but hampered the work when
possible, while Davis gave it half
hearted support, until near the END
of the work, when even that support
appears to have been withdrawn.
Mr.. McGillicuddy has for years been
recognized as the leading cruiser in
the county. A man of excellent Judg-
ment in such matters and OF undoubt-
ed integrity, he set about the under
taking in a businesslike way, intent
only upon securing as accurate an es-
innate of the timber as possible at the
least possible cost
Hampered the Cruiser
One of the first orders he gave all
employees. was to keep entirely secret
IN ;,,fn ian a.
ports. He had the reports printed
on tracing cloth for the purpose OF
making blue print copies, which it
was his intention TO have sold by the
county for a sum sufficient to pay the
cost of the entire cruise. In this at
tempt to save the public some money
he was balked at the outset AS soon
as he had the complete reports from
a few townships, he was ordered by
the board 10 turn them over to the
assessors office. and in twenty hours
from the time that order was given
that tax agent of the Weyerhaeusar
Timber company was down from Ia
coma and in the court house eXamin-
ing those reports. Who wired him?
At the outset there was hope held
by the opponents of the cruise that
something would go wrong. and Will
son would the the goat, but when
those first reports We're filed, it was
evident that. under McGillicuddy, Che
halls county was to have, what it is
now conceded TO have, the most ac-
curate cruise of any county in the
state. and thenceforth, Davis and
Hopkins seemed to have acted in con-
cert, leaving Wilson as much out of
consideration as if he was in New
Jersey.
The plan of McGllicuddy to make
those interested in the information
contained in the reports pay for it,
instead of giving them this valuable
data at the expense of the entire coun-
ty was all off when the reports were
turned over as the board said. "for
public inspection" as if the public"