The Washington times., 1915-01-27
MAY ADD NEW STAR
TO NATIONS FLAG
Lincoln May Be Name Of Pro.
posed State, With Spokane
as Capital.

A new State may be added to the
Union.
Slices carved from eastern Washing.
ton. northern Idaho. and western Mon
tana may be Joined to create the new
state OF Lincoln. in area and population
about equal to the present State Of
Washington. one OF the biggest in tho
UniCn.
For thirty years there has been agita.
tion within the Inland Empire" as the
people Of this aspiring region love to
call their country. for the creation Of a
new State. Conditions OF transportation
and natural relationships have long
made an appeal to them
Consent Of the older States to such a
carving up Of their domains has been
assumed as impossible, but now comes
Washington. which would be the chief
loser. with u preliminary tender of her
blessing on the enterprise. If Washing
ton permits 1t, Idaho will be the more
willing to surrender her Northern
pan handle:" and after that the
chance Of getting Montana to con-
tribute her western projection Of terri
tory will increase. Even with only
Washington and Idaho consenting,
however, the new State could be crea-
ted with ample area and population.
Possible Of Realization.
The action which brings the project
in sight of possible realization was
taken In the Washington State legisIa-
ture. The proposal was referred at
the beginning Of the present legislative
session to the Committee on Memorials.
and that committee yesterday made
unanimous report in favor Of petitioning
Congress to create the new State. II
created. Spokane would be the metropo-
lis and the capital Of the state.
The entire absence OF any transpor-
tation taao connections between the state OF
Idaho proper and the northern Fan
handle. which forces residents of this
section to go out through eastern Wash
ington before they can reach the south
ern portion OF the State. and the iso-
iation OF the eastern section Of Wash
ington and OF the Bitter Root, Mont,
valley by high mountain ranges. forms,
say proponents OF the new state idea,
a natural inland empire. and at a time
as remote as Cleveland's first Admin
istration the creation OF the State OF
Lincoln from this territory was much
mooted. At that time bill was en-
| acted by Congress granting the petit
tions OF the residents Of this territory
for separate Statehood. but WNs defeat
ed By the Presidents veto.
Should Ohe fight before Congress
which Is presaged by the favorable re-
port upon the question in the Washing
tional star in the tlag would stand for
a new unit a. large and nearly as pop
ulous as tho present State OF Washing
ton.
Only One Precedent.
There Is only one precedent which
can be taken as bearing upon the
proposed creation OF a new State from
already existing unit. That precedent
Is found in the creation of West Vir-
ginia which was separated from the
parent State at the time Of the civil
war.
1t is explained by members Of Con-
gress who are interested In the re-
vived efforts on the part OF the resi-
dents Of eastern Washington and the
Of their own. that the procedure fol-
lowed will probably be prefaced upon
acts Of the legislatures Of the States
OF Washington and Idaho, and Of
Montana. II the Bitter Root Valley in
habitants wish to enter the fight. CIV
ing the consent Of the various States
concerned to the proposed legislation
An enabling act" would then be In
troduced in Congress creating the new
State, and If this act became law,
through the signature of the President,
an official proclamation would be made.
calling a constitutional convention to
organize q State government. With this
completed, the vote in Congress for for
NAL admission Of the new State would
be taken.
Congress. of course, could enact tho
enabling clause without initial action
on the part of the states involved. 1t is
explained, but in such case the act
ould be sent to the States for ratiii-
cation.