The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1914-12-18

Mayor Joseph Austin said he had
premonition tonight that he was
standing in new county. He said
that if the people of Chisholm had
known there was to be county diyi-
sion meeting it would have been dif-
ficult to- keep any of them at home
Duluth prays," said Austin, "by day
and night that we Of the iron ranges
will remain passive on the county
division and all other matters as we
have in the past. The Duluth legis-
lative delegation is meeting tonight
and it is outlining plans to defeat a
county division bill. So long as we
continue to do nothing in our own be-
half we can expect to get nothing
done for ourselves. County division
is the big issue in this meeting. I
am glad to know we have elected leg
islative delegations from the iron
range districts who are heartily in
favor of county division bill. We
should give them our earnest, con-
slant support in accomplishing that
purpose.
C. R. Woods of Chisholm followed
Mr.. Austin along similar lines. He
suggested also that the next legisla-
ture should pass bill providing an
easier and surer method for villages
organized under the old law to
change their plan Of government to
that provided in the new law for the
organization of villages.
Scott Wants Two Counties.
Speaking for Hibbing Representa-
tive Scott went emphatically on record
for county division, not once but sew
eral times. He declared it was not
necessary to put through a county
division bill, but that the legislature
still had the right to divide counties,
and that up to few years ago that
had been the only method Of proce-
dure. He thought this fact should be
carefully taken into consideration be-
fore definite plans on the county divi-
sion bill were formulated and declar-
ed he was certain of the law because
he had recently looked it up. He sug-
. gested the creation Of two new coun-
ties out of St. Louis county, one OF
them to be known as Iron county and
the second as Mesaba county. Such
! plan would place Hibbing and Vir-
ginia in opposite counties. 1t would
give to Iron county all the towns on
the line of the Duluth & Iron Range
railroad and to Mesaba county all the
towns on the Duluth, Missabe & Nor
thern from Hibbing to Coleraine juno
ton and all the towns on the Great
Northern from Hibbing to Brookston'
County division was the first requisite,
however, and he said the people Of
Hibbing were enthusiastically for it.
Lese Majeste from Tower.
]. D. Murphy Of Tower said that
at the last county division meeting he
! had opposed county division from
| sincere motives and was surprised
: when he next visited Duluth to be
! hailed with acclaim as the saviour OF
Duluth and greeted on every hand
with "Well done, thou good and faith
full servant" He said that the people
of Tower had gone on record at
Commercial club meeting, had de-
clared in favor Of county division ane
in favor of the county seat being To-
Gated at Virginia. "We Of Tower arr
with you heart and SOUL" said Mr.
Murphy. He said also that he was NJ
longer open to the accusation OF be
ing the good and faithful servant o.
Duluth, that he had never been JUS
that, and that we of the ranges mus
bear in mind that the day was com
ing when the mines of the Mesab'
range would not be it's chief resource
but that the agricultural development
of the country in this section was tn
thing that would ultimately brin(
this section into the fullest measur
of permanent prosperity. He ha'
(Continued on pape ~