The Klickitat County Agriculturist, Goldendale, WA., March 4, 1911, page 16
"Western Klickitat"
News From White Salmon

     Petitions remonstrating against county division were circulated along the eastern boundary of the proposed new county from Appleton to Lyle and secured a good many signers. The second petitioners represented that it was not fair to ask the people for the division of a new county, get their names and then put in the county seat and county commissioners afterwards. This was magnified into a big grievance. It may not have appeared to be just the right thing to name the county, the county seat and the commissioners afterwards. So far as we have been able to learn that there was no intention to take "snap judgment." After the petitions were in it was learned that the name of the proposed new county would have to be in the bill, along with the name of the county seat, and three commissioners. The legislature was half over. There was no time to call a special election on these matters. It was believed all the time that the legislature would designate the county seat, which would be only for two years, when a vote of the county would be taken as to the permanent county seat. So a mass meeting was hurriedly called and took a vote on all three feature. The country people seemed to demand "White Salmon" for a name, after the river and the valley. Messrs. Gordon of Glenwood, Brune of Lyle and J. Wyers of White Salmon were recommended for county commissioners. Mr. Morginson's name was proposed, but it was found that he had not signed the petition.
     When things are left to the last minute, as in county division, mistakes are liable to be made, and things done that otherwise would not be. Members of the county division committee afterwards went to Lyle, and conceded the protesters the county seat and the naming of the commissioners if that was what was standing in the way of a unanimous support of county division in that precinct.

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©  Jeffrey L. Elmer