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The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., June 14, 1912, page 1

CO. DIVISION UNANIMOUS
Committee Votes on Line Between Ranges 13 and 14

At the county division convention held at the Alpha Opera House in this place last Saturday afternoon the delegates unanimously voted for division at a line approximately between ranges 13 and 14. It was an harmonious meeting in every respect. Lyle had expected a fight for division at the Klickitat, but this proposed boundary was not even mentioned, the demand of the Grand Dalles precinct to "membership" in the new county having some influence in extending the line farther eastward. The proposed new county will now embrace about 500 square miles of territory. Lyle made a request for the temporary county seat, but it was deemed best to leave this to a vote of the people.
The different precincts were represented as follows: Glenwood, E.E. Bartholomew; Trout Lake, Wm. Coate; Husum, F. Fox; Major Creek, J.W. Staats, Fruit Valley, H. Williams; White Salmon, A.R. Hayes; Bingen, T. Suksdorf; Lyle, L.D. Ewing; Appleton, Mr. Norris; Hartland, W. McCoy; Grand Dalles, L. Brune.
Mr. Norris was elected permanent chairman and A.R. Hayes, secretary.
Wm. Coate started the proceedings with a speech for county division, saying among other things, that the time is ripe; there is the necessary population and wealth; it can be done without additional regular expense to the new county; three commissioners could more satisfactorily manage the county than one, good tho the present commissioner is; the west end is assessed 15 to 25 per cent higher than the eastern and central parts of the county; there is economy in dispersing of our own money, and county division, he believed, would especially result in a better working out of the highways problem.
Mr. Ewing of Lyle approved of Coate's remarks as to heavier assessments, that they were hit hard at Lyle, and whenever assessments have been raised he had not heard that there had been a corresponding raise in the central and eastern parts of the county.
Frank Fox of Husum said it is a mistake to think of maintaining the White Salmon river as the western boundary line, saying it would be better to place it between the White Salmon and the Little White Salmon, which would take in a fruit district which is part of the White Salmon valley and would like to be included in the new county. His instructions were to favor division if this territory could be added to the west.
Mr. Suksdorf and others informed the Husum delegate that this would be impossible as the law prohibited taking from a county when by doing so the population of the county would be left less than 4,000 population.
Herbert Williams, a large land owner near White Salmon, pointed out instances of unequal assessments, citing in his own case that he had land assessed at $250 an acre when the selling price was only $150, and if this continued the sooner he got out of the country the better. With county division he believed the lands of the new county would be better equalized than under the present system.
Leo Brune, owner of 4,000 acres of land in the Grand Dalles precinct, wanted to come into the new county as it would be much more convenient for them, and proposed a line between ranges 13 and 14 so as to take in Grand Dalles, Hartland and Wahkiacus.
A.R. Hayes of White Salmon said there were two things to consider, the territorial and financial features. Division should be made where it would be fair to all concerned, as well as for the remaining part as the part taken. The people of the Goldendale country had built the branch railway at a cost of $60,000, that it would not be fair to take to the larger part of it; that tho the west end this side of 13-14 represented one-third of the assessed valuation of the entire county, it would not be fair to take so much territory and population that the bonded indebtedness of Klickitat county would be a heavy burden to the territory left. Taking too much of the railroad would be sure to arouse opposition, and he would oppose going so far that division would not be fair and square to all concerned. He, too, mentioned the inequalities of taxation. He also pointed out that the amount paid into the auditors office at Goldendale in the way of conveyancing fees by those between the 13-14 line was as much as paid in by all the rest of the county; that court expenses, mileage, jurors, etc., is out of all proportion.
Mr. Suksdorf of Bingen made a motion that the eastern boundary line start at the Columbia river two miles east of the line between 13 and 14, thence north to section 29, township 4, thence one mile west, thence north to where the line intersects the Klickitat river, thence up the Klickitat river to the Yakima county line.
There was considerable discussion as to the boundary line, but the line as described above was finally accepted, and a vote on county division as outlined, taking in a portion of western Skamania county and the small part of Yakima county this side of Mt. Adams if possible or agreeable, resulted unanimously in favor of county division.
It was decided to take a general straw vote on county division at the primaries in September, temporary county seat, name and officers to be chosen at the general election in November.
A committee of five was appointed to prepare a county division bill to present to the legislature, draw up a petition to be signed at the primaries, and be a permanent board for consideration of county division matters as they may come up. The chairman appointed Ewing and Boynton of Lyle, Suksdorf of Bingen, Dean and Hayes of White Salmon.