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The Hood River News, Hood River, OR., January 29, 1913, page 6

KLICKITAT COUNTY FIGHTS DIVISION

Rev. J.G. Tate of this city, pastor at the White Salmon, is among the delegation from the latter place that went to Olympia to wage the fight for county division. A number of war horses from the eastern end of the county are also at the Capitol and one of the stormiest session on record is expected.
Attorney N.B. Brooks of Goldendale is taking care of the anti-division end of the affair, while Rev. Tate and several other prominent citizens of White Salmon are in attendance to lend their aid to the divisionists. Mr. Brooks won his election as representative of last November on the anti-division proposition, the entire east end of the county voting for him, while his opponent C.S. Spencer of White Salmon, lost on the division question, being only about 75 votes behind Brooks.
The east end of the county, including the county seat at Goldendale, is greatly opposed to county division at this time, claiming that the county is too young.
At this time the county seat is not in a convenient place for the west end the people, and it is a very difficult place to reach and at which to transact county business. It requires about four days' of time by team to reach Goldendale and return from Trout Lake valley or any place in the west end of the county, and is expensive to go by stage or railway.
The west end people claim they pay enormous taxes into the county coffers and do not get much of it expended on roads, bridges and other improvements. They claim, also, that the west end is ignored in every way possible.