The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1917-02-22

north Tor wanting to secede. They
nave grievances and some of them
have BEEN intensified by the effort Of
the governor and other Boise citizens
to wreck the educational institutions
OF the north The feeling is spreading
over the state that 1t is high time that
Boise recognize that there Is q State Of
Idaho instead of insisting that all Ida
no citizens must bow to the will Of the
State of Boise.
When the north and south highway
nght started In the present legisla-
ture 1t was precipitated by Boise In
terests, and Notwithstanding the engi-
neerfng department under two admin
istrations decided the Weiser valley
route to be the most feasible, every Ell
fort has been put forth to defeat the
plans of the commission and rob this
section Of what Is our Just due. And
while Boise was trying to steal the
highway away from us we went to the
north for assistance to prevent them
from doing so. This assistance was
freely given and the northern legis-
lators to man lined up with us on the
side OF right and justice. They proved
themselves friends in need, and when
Boise proposed to remove the state uni
versity from Moscow our northern
friends asked us to Join them in a
movement for state division. This
brings us to the point of our peculiar
position.
The north has stood by us and 1t
seems ungrateful for us to fail them
when they ask our help In return, but
the question of dividing the state is
serious one, and the question of
which subdivision we should Join with
Is more serious. Our hearts naturally
go out to our friends, but our people
feel that the division putting Washing
ton county In the new northern state
would place us In q southern pan
handle to the new state just as the
people OF the north are now the pan
handle to the present state. We
would then be compelled to traverse
Oregon and Washington to get to the
state capitol just as our northern
friends now have to traverse those
states to get TO Boise. Ours would
then be the only irrigated county in
the new state, and the waters used
would come from beyond the new state
boundary. Politically we would be In
a hopeless minority and would prob
ably have little more influence than
we seemingly have at present, and that
Is not much. However, that is q
small matter compared to the fact that
we are south Of the natural topograph-
ical dividing line and would be In a
measure a little community to our
selves whose interests would not be in
common with the timber and mining
industries Of the north or the farming
Of that section.
The greatest factor to consider In
discussing division as 1t would effect
us is the tax question. Could the new
state composed of less than half Of the
counties or Idaho run a state gov
eminent at less expense than it is
costing now. Much as the Signal loves
the boys Of the north. and much as we
enjoy working with them, we fear from
a financial standpoint we would be
jumping from the frying pan into the
fire. The proposed state does not In
clude enough territory and should take
good slice of Montana to even things
up. In that case they would not need
Washington county and would prob
ably not want us.
Summed up, there is every reason
why the legislators from Washington
county should join in a just rebuke
to the selfish spirit manifested by