The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-04-05

The county division proposition has
popped up again. This time it origin
ated at Hibbing and was fostered by
the others of the Mesaba Range COM
munities in retaliation for the attitude
of Duluth. the big boy sitting
on the throne of st. Louis County, IN
the per capita tax measures now De-
fore the legislature The range towns
feel that Duluth is altogether too
paternalistic in matters pertaining TO
the range towns and should receive
a sound slap every now and then or
better still, swift kick on the south
side when they are looking towards
the ranges trying to find something
to detract attention from its own
shortcomings.
Every few days the busybodies in
the Unsalted City of the Zenith Sea
finds something the matter with the
ranges and especially the county not
in its immediate vicinity. First the
lame duck contingent finds that the
county commissioners need guard
ian on road matters and propose 10
name Is such to oversee a trunk high
way system that would begin and end
at Duluth. Then, some disgruntleo
employees Of the court house, tried to
fost a civil service system on the
county which would embrace every
body drawing salaries at the court
house and other employees Of the
county under the jurisdiction Of the
county commissioners excepting COM
mon labor on the roads.
The balance of the county could not
see these moves and promptly took up
arms in defense Of the county commits
sioners with the result that the civil
service bill met death and the trunk
road bill will be revamped and sub
mitted to the voters before it is at
tempted to railroad it through the
legislature it should be. This I'M
rest on the ranges has been brewing
for some time and took form in the
county division proposition.
The Miner is not at all enthused
as to leave us out of whatever benefit
is derived either way the cat Jumps
We are now shoe stringed" on one
end of the biggest county in the
United States outside of Texas, and
should the county be divided as pro-
posed, Ely would again be shoe
stringed" at the other end the same
as now as far as the county seat is
concerned. This is not the opinion Of
the City of Ely but our own opinion.
Virginia, Eveleth or Hibbing would be
voted the county seat.
Another county would only dupli-
cate the expense. At present we are
supplied in St. Louis County with a
fine set of modern buildings suitable
for many years and we think we have
a fine set of county officers and COM
missioners. The county machinery is
working smoothly and barring few
monkey wrenches thrown into it by
some of the south county organiza-
tons, is satisfactory to the majority.
The only ones who seem to be diSatis-
fed seem to be some who cannot get
in on the ground floor in the matter
of emoluments. We may change our
mind when the subject becomes public
and the advantages and disadvantages
are thoroughly dissected. Just now
we believe we have the best county
in the state, in fact, one of the three
counties of the state which has always
been considered the main source of
the states several funds of ready cash,
viz: Hennepin, Ramsey and st. Louis.
We doubt very much, if the thing
went to an election, whether or not
the division measure would carry The
same interests that are now scrapping
over tax measures would continue the
scrap in case of division and with the
added expense, would have something
else to scrap about Bond issues and
additional taxes are taboo in the eyes
Continued on page FOUR