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The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., April 26, 1912, page 1

ADVISE CO. DIVISION
Answers to Trout Lake Letters Favor Dividing the County

A committee consisting of A.G. Belsheim, J.M. Filloon and Andrew Johnson was appointed at the recent Good Roads meeting here and requested to inquire of prominent citizens of Hood River and other counties as to whether the people in counties which have withdrawn from old counties are satisfied with affairs since division. J.M. Filloon, secretary of the committee, had received replies from of all to whom he wrote for information.
The following questions were asked by Mr. Filloon: "Has the creation of your county given general satisfaction to the people of your section?" Answer, "Yes."
"Have taxes increased noticeably since the county was created?" Answer, "Taxes have not increased since the creation of the county, the levy being even lower than it was prior to that time. Evaluations have been raised, however, owing to the general improvement of real estate and other lines of investment properties in the county so that the taxes are perhaps a little more than a few years ago." In this reply the case is experienced at Hood River, while the following reply was received from a prominent businessman of Moro, Sherman county:

TAXES ARE LESS

"I can say taxes are less than one-half what they were before division." "Has the creation of the new county been the cause of homeseekers remaining away?" Answer, "The creation of the new county has in no way been the means of homeseekers remaining away, but on the other hand, has been if anything, a factor in favor of their locating here, for they were quick to perceive having the seat of government located in the immediate territory."
And this was the reply in substance, received from five others to whom the question was put.

LAND VALUES INCREASE

"Have land values decreased or increased since the division of the county?" Answer, "Land values have increased since the division of the county; have quadrupled, one writer says.
"Have your roads materially improved since division of the county?" Answer, "The roads of this county have been materially improved since the vision of the county, and it was because of the road situation that the people in this territory was so strong for a new county." The same reply was received from all the others to whom letters were written.

COUNTY EXPENSES LESS

"Has the expense of maintaining county offices been a burden to the people of your county since its creation?" Answer, "No. The expense of maintaining county offices has not been a noticeable burden to the people of the new county. This is due to, in part, to the foresight of those interested in the movement in having a very reasonable salary specified for the new officials when the new county was created. It is a favorable time to imbue the public with a spirit of economy in this direction. At the same time the ACTUAL WORK IS SO MUCH LESS IN A SMALL COUNTY AS COMPARED WITH LARGE ONES THAT THE ACTUAL SERVICES RENDERED MAY BE PROCURED AT A CORRESPONDINGLY LOWER COST."

"STICK HARD FOR COUNTY DIVISION"

In one letter received from a citizen of Sherman county and he says: "IF YOU HAVE ANY ASSABLE PROPERTY STICK HARD FOR DIVISION." We are out of debt and pay a 7 1-2 mills county, state and road tax. Have good roads, good schools, fine courthouse. The old county (Wasco) pays 16 1-2 mills -- 20 mills - and bum old buildings with good roads only near the county seat. We could never get anything done for our part of the county before division." Another man says of the same county: "Two years after the division of our county paid out of debt and has never since been in debt. It took over a large indebtedness at time a division, too."