vote.html

The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., November 1, 1912, page 1
Includes photographs, and a map of the proposed new county.

VOTE FOR CHAS. R. SPENCER AND WHITE SALMON
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Logical Place for County Seat;
Will Serve Largest Number of People and Has All Conveniences for Temporary County Seat

None of the places on which the west end will vote for the temporary county seat are so situated that any one will be ideally located. Something may be said in favor of each one of the candidates. There may be one feature strongly in favor of one locality not possessed by another. It is not enough that the voters consider just one feature, but consider it from all angles.
The Enterprise believes White Salmon is entitled to first consideration.
White Salmon is the largest and only incorporated town in the proposed new county, which mean that it has conveniences far out-weighing any other places. White Salmon has led the fight for county division and drawn all the aspersions of the opposition.
White Salmon has put up all the money for the campaigns, spending in the aggregate far more to accomplish what will be of benefit to all the people than Lyle claims to have pledged for a court house.
White Salmon has been a consistent worker for county division. It is not in the position of having voted against division and against the division candidate, as one of the leading candidates for the county seat did.
No other town has put up a cent for this county division campaign which was said to be hopeless at first but is now apparently sure of accomplishment.
After trying to get others to run from other precincts it put up one of its citizens for the legislature, and his is personally hearing all the necessary expenses for an office which has strategical value in the legislative fight to bring about division.
Whatever benefits you will derive from the creation of a county of your own will be almost wholly due to the contributions of expense money by White Salmon citizens and the untiring efforts of its workers. Surely this should have consideration in selecting a place for the temporary county seat.
White Salmon is thoroughly in accord with a writer in the Lyle Washingtonian who says the county seat should be selected from the standpoint of the good of the largest number of people. From the census of 1910 we find that the "White Salmon territory" has a population of 2600 as against 1250 for "Lyle territory." This does not include Camas Valley country, with its population of 565, for the people of this section are about equally distant from each town and have a road to any one of the points mentioned for the county seat.
Look at the map and see how "all roads lead to White Salmon." There is a road from Trout Lake Valley with its settlement of about 75 families, and more coming. Just recently 30 filings were made for homesteads west of Trout Lake, and with the ultimate opening of the forest reserve there will be more who will find White Salmon more accessible than Lyle, Bingen to Appleton. There is a road from Snowden, where much development is on, a corporation selling in small tracts their purchase of 8000 acres of land, and who prefer White Salmon for the county seat. This road also serves the Major Creek settlers. This road also connects with Appleton. A road leads from Bristol, where there has been considerable development. The road from Camas valley, one of the most promising sections in the Northwest, already having over 100 families, leads to this place. The new canyon road accommodates Burdoin Heights. Lyle has a ten-mile trip over one of the best railroads in the country. Farmers from Hartland, Klickitat and Rockland precincts would be some what remote, but as we have already said, no place in located so that it would be as convenient for one part of the county as the other.
The Trout Lake road has more tonnage, perhaps, than all other roads in the west end combined. Besides Trout Lake this road serves Guler, Glenwood, Laurel and Gilmer districts, converging at Husum and following down the thickly settled valley to White Salmon. Another indication of traffic White Salmonwards is that there are three stage routes out of White Salmon to Trout Lake and Glenwood daily, and to Snowden twice a week. Star mail routes are run out of White Salmon to the same places. A rural free delivery route is about to be established to Bristol and the "Pine Flat" country. Three auto trucks are soon to constitute a freight line to Glenwood, Snowden, Trout Lake and way points.
White Salmon has regular and direct ferry connection with Hood River, thereby giving people the advantage of two through railways, besides river transportation. Boats stop at the White Salmon wharf daily and unload more freight than at any other port between Vancouver and Pasco on this side of the river. The building of the automobile road from Hood River to Portland, now almost completed, makes the town with regular ferry service all the more advantageous. It also makes possible automobile tours from North Yakima down through the new county to Portland.
There is every indication that White Salmon will always hold its distinction as the largest town in the prosperous new county. It is the only incorporated town at the present time. It is the trading point for the largest apples belt in Southwestern Washington. The White Salmon fruit district has already won a reputation throughout the country, and as its thousands of acres of adjacent orchards come into bearing it will be ranked as one of the great apples sections of the Northwest.
White Salmon has spent thousands of dollars in advertising Western Klickitat County, and will spend more, its relation in this respect being to the rest of the county what the town of Hood River is to Hood River Valley, where is beautifully exemplified the value of a strong progressive town to the outlying districts. White Salmon has, so to speak, been the megaphone for the western part of the present county. It is the pioneer developer, so to speak. It aspires to become the "Hood River" of Washington. It will, to, unless its citizens get the dry rot. It will be a town to which you will want to come for its many advantages, and you who vote for it now will come to say, "I sure made no mistake, for time has proved that, as in the first instance, its location best serves the largest number of people."
By voting White Salmon the county seat you gain the benefit of all that goes to make a first class county seat; ample hotel accommodations, law libraries, telephone and telegraph services, beautiful court house site, free from wideswept sands, drainage, rail and water transportation. Your court house will be located in a town already possessing large well stock stores, a high school, churches, three hotels, doctors, lawyers, lodges, the largest apple house in Klickitat County, blacksmith shops, garages, livery stables, auto stages, all of which, and more, are in combination of conveniences and advantages which make it unquestionably the proper place for the temporary county seat.