Year: 1872

The proposition to form new county
out Of territory taken from Sierra, Nevada
and Placer counties is 30 entirely without
merit, and threatening TO the interests Of the
counties to be shornc Of the territory, and
future burdens to the people Of the proposed
new county, that VIC have not thought
proper heretofore to even discuss the qucs-
ton, believing that it would be sclf-evdent
to every member Of the Legislature that
such bill should not pass. The bill threat
Ems the virtual destruction of Sierra county
by taking from her large portion Of her
most valuable property, with which she is
even now hardly able to support county
government. Indeed, if the new county is
to include Sierra Valley, the remainder Of
the county should be attached to Nevada
county, and it and Donner county should
pay the debt of the old obiterated county.
1t proposes to take from Placer large num-
Der Of miles of railroad which has cost her
vast thousands of dollars, money which has
already been paid by the taxpayers of this
county, without consideration. Nevada and
Sierra counties arc heavily in debt, while
Placer owes comparatively nothing, and yet
this bill proposes TO tax GENEROUSLY tho cit-
zens Of Placer incorporated in the new county
to pay the proportion of the debts owing by
the two former counties, which is only fairly
cbargeable to the people of Sierra and Ne
vada included in the new county. We
should say that the people of Placer residing
in the territory proposed to be taken, would
hardly relish this invitation to pungle money
to pay the debts of Sierra and Nevada coun-
tics. 1t is possible the people of south
western Nevada may be willing to get rid Of
Meadow Lake township, as that would aid
them in removing the county seat to Grass
Valley, and it may also be true that Meadow
Lake township, which is worthless il we
except the town of Truckec, is an expense
to Nevada county. 1t is probably true that
some hotels, boarding houses, saloons, law


yers, oliice.seekers and would be scrip spec


u!ators in 1ruckec would be benefited by
the new county; but while this would be fun
for them it would be death to taxpayers.
We should not like to see Sierra county
blotted from the map of the State, and that
or worse than that would be the result if she
is robbed of her territory east of the summit.
The new county would find herself deeply in
debt before she had become the owner Of
public buildings, and sustained the heavy
draft incidental to organization and expenses
Of the first two years; her warrants selliny
at fifty cents on the dollar, and be bound to
pay two dollars for every one she received
in service or material. a better solution of
the question would be to attach that portion
Of Nevada county sought to be Incorporated
in the new county to Placer. These people
would then belong to n county out Of debt,
have county seat directly on their route of
travel and business connections. bc blessed
with low taxes and be part of political
community of which they are now, in So
cial and business capacity, identical. These
are the only considerations that should have
weight in territorial acquisitions or alliances.


Since the above article was written the
author of the bill, Mr. Bell, has Withdrawn
it, probably intending to introduce new
one to attach Meadow Lake township to
Placer, which would be a proper settlement
of the whole question.