Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1916-06-16
FORCED TO
co TO COURT.
County Commissioners Have To Take
Legal Steps To Secure Boundary
County's Money From Bonner
AMOUNTS TO ABOUT Sl2,OOO.OO
Bonner County Refuses All Proposals
Which Have Been Made

The county commissioners of Bon
ner county and the officials concerned
in the matter seem determined to try
"hogging it," have ignored offers of
a conciliatory nature and steadfastly
refuse to place any reasonable con-
struction upon the law in the matter
of a division of the government ap-
preparation from the sales of timber
in the forest reserves in Bonner and
Boundary counties.
The commissioners of Boundary
county, Messrs Shively, McColl and
Deyoe, went to Standpoint Tuesday
and were accompanied by County
Attorney leighton. All overtures
made by the Boundary county officers
were refused or ignored. Conse-
quently the commissioners have or
dered that a suit be started imme-
diately against Bonner county to re-
cover approximately $4,000 of the
$20,064.06 which Bonner county re-
ceived the 30th of last July from the
government timber sales. Boundary
county will also start suit against
Bonner county to recover approx
mately $4,000, this sum being claimed
as the amount over and above the
cost of transcribing the Bonner
county records for Boundary county
which was paid Bonner county when
Boundary county was organized. In
this case the amount to be paid Bon
ner county by Boundary for the
transcribing of the records was fixed
in the Boundary county division bill
passed by the last legislature. The
Boundary county officials, however,
take the stand that county organiza-
tons do not and may not conduct
their business for profit and that
Bonner had no legal right to receive
a profit on work done in the carry
ing out of the provisions of the di-
vision bill. Whatever may be the
legal aspect of the case it cannot be
denied that the moral right lies with
Boundary county.
Bonner county officials do not deny
Boundary county's right to pro-
portion of the federal money but
from the beginning of the contro-
versy Bonner county has endeavored
to evade the law and ignored the
question of right and wrong. First
Bonner county would only consent
to give Boundary county proper
ton of the money received from tim
Der cut in the district which is now
Boundary county. Then Boundary
county officials produced federal law
which provided that in cases of divis-
ions of counties the money which
might be paid to the parent county
should be divided according to acre
age. When this law was produced
Bonner county Immediately Offered
to settle on the 271s per cent basis
which was first asked by Boundary
county and which was the basis Of
settlement of the property of Bonner
county when the division was effect
ed. Inasmuch as Bonner county con
tains about $4,000 acres and Boun
Diary county contains about 422,00t
acres under the federal law Boundar.
county is entitled to nearly so pc
cent of the appropriation which j
claims and will proceed to collect.
In their efforts to settle the matte
of the transeribing of records refun'
and the division of the federal appro
priation the county commissioner
of Boundary county and Attorne.
leighton proposed that the decision
in the matter be left to either Dis
trict Judge Dunn or Flynn, the Bon
ner and Boundary county attorney
to submit briefs and set forth al
the facts in the matter.
The Bonner county commissioner
refused to consider the proposal as ia
as the refund matter was concerned
Chairman Mcbride, of the Bonnie
county board of commissioners, wer
so far as to state that his opinio
was just as good as that of Judg
Dunn or Judge Flynn, or words
that effect. County Treasure
Christensen, Of Bonner county, al
nounced that he was willing to leay
the matter of the amount of Boul
Diary county's share of the feeders
money to the fairness of one of IL
district judges but the Boundai
County Attorney was unable to S
cure such an agreement from Alto
ney Asher Of Bonner county.
Commissioners Shively, Deyoe al
McColl believe they are in the rig
in both matters; they intend to carr