Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1916-10-13
Elk RIVER SENTINEL
LANDS ON THE bUzzAR0

Elk River SenJlnel OF OcC. D, says
The county political campaign has
degenerated into fight by the demo-
cratic organization against Assessor
Hinckley, and an effort to "put
through" R. H. Leeper as assessor.
The other candidates are left to sink
or swim without any help from the
machine.
Nothing is said now or ever in
favor of Mr.. Leeper; his ability,
experience, faithfulness to duty are
never mentioned, although they may
abundantly exist. Nothing is said
except a roast of Hinckley.
The only charge against him is
that he has not assessed timber high
enough. In short, he has not
"soaked" the Elk River country and
the Pierce Weippe country hard
enough.
The Coffee-coolers and ranchers
around Orofino are told that Mr..
Leeper will raise assessments on the
outside precincts SO high the former
will have almost nothing to pay and
lots of money to blow in on them
selves and their private little soft
snaps at county expense.
Hinckley has done we'll and honest
ly by the people in general. although
he, like others, has exaggerated no.
tions of what undeveloped timber is
worth. He raised white pine this
year from So per thousand on the
stump to 1925 except in the most
remote regions, where he raised il
from 81 to SIPS. This was a raise
of % per cent on remote white pine
and of IL I-2 per cent on all thai
can be reached within the next ten o.
twelve years. The state board O.
equalization found that this brough
Clearwater timber assessments highe
than any others in the state and Sc
cut the assessment down to a fla
raise of per cent.
Even at that Clearwater timbe
is assessed higher than that of an!
other county in the state except Bon
ner, which is penetrated by tire
transcontinental railways, a larg
, pavigable river and the bigges
fresh-water lake in the country
which contains dozens, big and little
of sawmills; the mixed timber o
which runs strong to good cedar poles
, the logged off land of which is wort
money; most of the timber of whic
{ is sound young second growth. Ye
; Bonner timber is assessed at SIP
| an acre, $l9S. 40 a quarter section
more than Clearwater timber.
Clearwater timber is the mos
remote and difficult to reach in tn
! state it has only one railway-an
5 that branch-into the timber; it ha
only one sawmill Of any Importance
, its one railroad only ,penetrates
, miles into the woods of the count
and the entire south half of it is out
( size the eastern freight blanket an
has to pay more freight on lumbe
5 than any other part of the Inlan
Empire except perhaps Craig noun
tain; its timber averages older an
: with more rot and waste than an
: county in the state; third to hal
of the trees are white fir that, b
: itself, is not worth even logging G
, sawingg, to say nothing of buying q
e paying taxes on; its cedar is mostl
5 rotten and when sound tapers so niue
! that the heavy butts eat up the poles
| value in freight; the county is 6
, rugged that logging costs more tina
anywhere less in the state except o
n the upper Occur d'Alene river; tn
i deep SHOWS hinder woods work NOR
s than anywhere except on Marble cree
r and no mills in Idaho are SO niue
: hampered by the weather as thos