Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1915-05-28

provided there are enough people left
to pay the salaries and expenses of a
county after the various Offices are
filled.
- 'Yoked with shirkers' is the pre-
dicament of a large, rich and rapidly
growing region which occupies the
upper watersheds of the st. Maries,
the Pslouse and the Potlatch rivers,
together with the large area COM
monty called "the Elk River region.
This magnificent country, rich in
agriculture, in timber, in minerals,
reached by three great trans-contin-
entail railways, the future home Of
many thousands of prospecting fami-
lies, now forms the annex a mere
annex to three counties. 1t receives
no consideration, its roads and schools
are neglected, its money is filched and
spent where voters are more numer-
Gus, it is kicked and flouted by those
who live off its forced bounty.
The people of this great country
are, by existing communications, as
far as seven to eight hundred miles
from their county seats, calculating
the time taken for the journeys by
the time tables of common carriers.
The administration of justice, the
rights of litignants. the care Of the
schools and the roads are hampered
and made expensive by the distance
from these county seats while the
officials who have to do with them are
in most case wholly ignorant of the
interests and rights of the people and
property they serve in the remote
parts Of their counties, which will
form the new county.
The time has come for it to separ-
ate itself in self protection from the
parasites which are sucking its blood.
This can only be done by the forma-
tion Of a new county.
'sAs the region mentioned lies, it is
all directly tapped by the Elk River
branch Of the Chicago, Milwaukee &
st. Paul and by the Washington, Ida
no & Montana railways, SO that COM
munication between its different parts
is quick and easy.
Its interests and industries are
similar, its population homogeneous,
its wealth ample, its future assured.
With an these considerations ir
mind the people of what will become
Pine county are organizing to secure
their rights and the safety of theil
property. They will go to the nex1
Legislature with petition, backed by
almost everybody in the territor.
affected, asking for freedom.
No vulgar squabble for county sea
honors will move them nor are they il
terested in who will hold the petit,
offices. All they want is freedom
from useless expense, freedom from
the graft of peanut politics in theil
county seats and the populous pre-
cincts adjoining them. They antici
pate no opposition worthy the nam
because their request is so evidentl
just and fair that none can gainsa
it.
Pine county will have population
and wealth considerably greater tha
that of Clearwater county, and bein
taken from three counties it vii
leave each of them with all the terri
tory and all the assessable propert
they need. Its population is now es
timated at 1000 and all within, q
the most, thirty miles by easy rail
way travel Of the center of the coun
ty. This alone will produce import
ant economies in every branch Of ad
ministration.
Committees will be formed in ever
neighorhood to organize the peopl
or the work of presenting their de
mand to the Legislature and formulat
ing their wishes so as to secure ali
solute united support for the plan.
The boundaries proposed will Civ
Pine county approximately twent,
seven townships of territory, not il
.cluding forest reservation. Tt
northern border will run on an eal
and west line short distance mort
of Clarkia; its southern border wi
lie short distance south of the w.
& M, swinging to the southeal
SO as to follow generally the Mort
Fork of the Clearwater, not includir
the great bend it takes to the north
Big Island nor the bend to the sout
at its headwaters in the forest r.
servation.
More exactly described, the pr
posed borders are:
Beginning at the intersection of Il
south line of Benewah county wi
the western border of Idaho, then
east on the south line of Benewl
county to the Shoshone county lin
thence east on the range line betwe