Crook
County
Joureai
COUNTY OFFICIAL PAPER FOR CROOK COUNTY
VOL. XVIII $1.50 YEAR
PRINEVILLE, CROOK COUNTY, OREGON, THURSDAY, OCT. 29, 1914.
Vote 77 and 79 X NO and Save
Increased Taxes
Ten Reasons Why Crook County
Should Not Now Be Divided
First It is too costly. We cannot afford it at the present
time.
Second It would tend to lower the present high stand
ard of our schools.
Third It would force the taxpayers of the present coun
ty to sustain three county and circuit courts, three sets of
county buildings and three sets of county officials instead of
one.
F ourth The present county seat is located in the geo
graphical and business center of the county. In none of the
proposed counties would the county seat be so centrally
located.
Fifth It would be a positive injustice to the remaining
portion of Crook county, forcing the taxpayers of that division
of the county to assume the entire indebtedness of the three
new counties, when nearly all of the indebtedness has been
incurred in the development of the two proposed counties on
the west side.
Sixth We are forced to LOWER taxation. We will
never do it by such a revolutionary proceeding. It can only
be done by creating LESS not MORE expenses.
Seventh A large majority of the heavy taxpayers in the
whole county are against it . - -.V i
Eighth Apparently in an effort to fool somebody, a lot
of half-baked estimates of setting up and operating new
counties have beentindustriously circulated by the diviaionists.
Any cause that resorts to such methods is UNSAFE and
should be let alone.
Ninth Crook county as it now stands is of more conse
quence when state matters are under consideration than if it
were cut into small, inconsequential muntcipalities.
Tenth The present proposed lines were drawn arbi
trarily and behind closed doors. The public was not in any
manner consulted. Evidently the . welfare of Madras and
Bend only as county seats were considered. No man knows
where the business centers on the south and west side will
be in a few years.
Extravagence in County Management
The charge of extravagance in county affairs is freely
made and loudly proclaimed by the county divisionists. The
little new Crook county is blamed for it all when not a dollar
of it can be traced to the citizens of the new Crook county as
proposed by the divisionists. NOT A DOLLAR OF IT and
the reason is plain. The county court audits all bills as every
body knows. Since 1908 not a single member of the county
court has come from the proposed little Crook county.
Every one of them has come from the proposed Jefferson and
Deschutes counties. Note this Mr. Divisionist, and answer it
if you can. The question is: What kind of philosophy is it
that would permit the other fellow to do the dancing and at
the same time require us to pay for the fiddler? Artemus
"Ward would call it damphool philosophy.
There may, and no doubt will, come a time when Crook
county should be divided. When that time does come all
interests in all sections of the county as nearly as may be
should be consulted. Such an important movement should
not be sprung upon the people suddenly among the compli
cations attending ablate and county election.
Abstract of Registration
PRECINCTS
Rut Pnncvllla
Wett PrtDvlU
North Bend
South Dead .
Sluteri
Haytck..
McKay.
Hay Creek.
Willow Creek..
Croai Keyi
A ill wood.
ItaachutM
johnion Creek..
Mill Creek
Howard
Hnmmit
Bear Creek
Camp Creek..
White Kutte.
Heaver Creek-..
Maurey ..
Neweorn..
Kutcher
Kreee
Powell Butte
Warm Hnrins
Tetlierow.
LaldU
Lemon t .
Lvle GaD
Madraa
Lava.
Redmond
Hillman
Clioe Fall!
Uat Rock
Fife
Black Butte.
Centralo
Millican..
Opal City
Aiialfa
Lower Bridge
Montgomery
Metoliut
Imperial
If land
Total...
Beware of the Fate
Taxes Increase 282 Per Cent
After Division.
After hearing so much about how
cheaply the proposed new counties
can theoretically be run and what
srreat economy will assuredly result
from division into three small coun
ties, it is interesting to note just
what it actually costs the taxpayers
in Hood River county to operate
their county the last county to be
formed in Oregon and the smallest
in size. County divisionists will tell
you the millage has been decreased
in Hood River county. But while
millage was being reduced the
amount actually paid for taxes in
creased. It does not matter to you
as a taxpayer whether the millage
is high and valuations low or vice
versa. It is the amount in dollar.
and cents you have to pay that
affects you.
From complete certified copies of
tax rolls of Hood River county in
the possession of Crook County
Lower Tax League, we find that tax
payers of Hood River county are
now paying on an average $3.82 in
taxes where they had paid onlv
$L00 before county division on the
same identical properties.
Now, Mr. Taxpayer, if there ever
was a small county that could be
operated cheaply, it is Hood River.
The values are high, property highly
developed and population concen
trated in a very small district.
The area of Hood River county is
543 squire miles, with only about
216 square miles, or about six town
ships outside the forest reserve. The
assessor estimates that 90 per cent
of the assessed valuation and popu
lation of the county are within ten
miles of the county seat. He says
there are as high as 100 property
owners on one section of land in
some districts. This concentration
of population makes necessary the
maintainence of but comparatively
few schools.
Hood River county has but 16
of Crook County Electors
TTTTiTT?
i I S r I I
II f
If
I 1 II I ?
818 197 100 6 4 3 7
206 132 117 3 6 1 6
278 124 118 13 4 10 11
830 186 1 16 10 6 4 10
187 3 64 8 21 5 6
174 78 05 17 11 5
106 68 33 8 3
77 66 16 . 6
M 83 21 .. 6 4
88 83 2 .. 8 .
113 67 81 1 10 .... 8
824 158 124 18 3 11 10
83 61 32 4 2 4
45 11 29 2 3
17 11
13 6 6 . . l
86 42 33 1 1 3 2
127 70 8tf 1 6 6 6
34 20 14 ....
W 47 44 1 2 3
24 7 16 1
66 29 36 ....
201 105 62 6 10 7 11
14 11 8 . . .
67 38 19 8 3 2 2
42 25 11 1 1 l
lft 78 49 28 1 2 1
275 141 79 9 14 14 18
112 68 37 3 3 11
121 7 19 9 4 4 9
177 95 66 9 9 8
1" 6 10 .. 1 i
231 131 68 19 4 4 6
144 61 37 21 10 6 9
84 29 28 4 6 2 15
68 84 27 3 1 1
20 11 7 .. 1 1
81 28 36 8 3 3 8
73 35 19 5 6 4 4
95 46 26 4 7 9 8
85 41 28 1 11 4
83 40 25 1 10 7
48 20 17 4 2 1 4
63 23 21 1 6 1 2
168 88 63 8 13 2 9
223 102 72 10 16 13 10
92 43 27 .... j 3 19
6614 2875 llOOo" 229 244 129 237
of Hood River-
school 'districts and over 8.000 popu
lation. In crook county we have 100
school districts and about 12.000
population. Concentration of popu
lation also necessitates less road
construction.
If in Hood River county, the
richest area of its size in the state,
so admirably situated for econom
ical administration and with an as
sessed valuation in 1913 of $12,000,
000, if under these ideal conditions
county division has almost quad
rupled the tax burden, who can es
timate the burden of the tax payers
of this county will have to pay to
support separate county govern
ments in the proposed Deschutes
county, with an assessed valuation
of about $5,000,000, in the proposed
Jefferson county, with $3500,000
valuation, and old Crook county
with only $3,150,000 and $100,000
in debt. .
Also note this carefully, Mr.
Taxpayer, in the proposed new
counties. No courthouse has been
built in Hood River no great sums
of money spent for office furniture
and equipment. Why? Taxes have
been so high since division that no
one has cared to urge upon the
overburdened taxpayers this addi
tional expense. But would the pro
moters of Deschutes and Jefferson
counties be so thoughtful about the
wishes of the taxpayers? The ctty
of Hood River is the only city in
Hood River county. There is no
danger of any other town springing
up and demanding the county seat.
But how different here.' In the
proposed Deschutes county at the
present reported rate of immigra
tion from Bend, Redmond,. Sisters,
Deschutes. LaPine, Imperial or
Laidlaw might in the course of a
years outstrip Bend and claim the
county seat if the Bend boosters
would delay the construction of an
f Continued on page eight.
A Thought or
Consumption
Some few people in eastern Crook pretend to favor the
proposed county division. They are growing fewer but now
and then one remains. What few are left, like Napoleons
old guard, "die, but never surrender." One more attempt to
reason with them and then we are done.
ME
Are you sure you have thought it over, gendemen?
Where are you going to get your money to pay the indebted
ness of all three of these new counties ?
The law says you must pay it Where are you going
to get the one hundred thousand dollars, gendemen?
You know what the parrot said about the kind of a time
he had with the monkey. Don't you think you would have
about the same kind of a time with that hundred thousand
dollars? Think it oven once more, gendemen. "
Then, there is our county high school Every mother's
son of us is proud of it What are you going to do with it
when we are reduced to less than one-third our present size?
Keep on building it up ? Yes, you will not.
Then, if division goes, we, of little new Crook, will fall
heir to coonty buildings too large for our needs and several
other things quite costly for a small community to maintain.
Will you continue to maintain them creditably and build
them upor down ? You see, there are several things to
think over. It's like a bread and butter proposition. It will
bear very regular attention.
Then again, a great many of us want lower taxation.
Most of us want it The fact is, ALL of us are pro
testing against such high taxes. How on earth are you going
to lower taxes and carry all this load carry the burden that
the whole county is carrying now ?, .
You know you cannot do it Even the boosters of
Madras and Bend know that At least they are making
their campaign for new counties and using as their chief
argument that the law will force what remains of Crook
county, after they are through with it to pay all the indebted
ness of the whole of the present county. And you are going
to bite at it are you ? What are you thinking about anyway K
You see, according to these east side division boys, they
are tired of a big, fine Crook county. They want a little
Crook county. Jusr a small fraction of the present county is
enough for them. The present county is too big too un
wieldly for them. They want something small something
about their size something they can handle.
Now, boys, honor bright, isn't that about the truth ?
Something that wjll be easy for you to handle. This is too
big. It has gotten away from you. Isn't that about right ?
During the past six years, Crook county' has expended
$394,000 on public highways. Two-thirds of this money has
been spent within the proposed Jefferson and Deschutes
counties.
During the past six years $217,740 of county money has
been spent for public schools in Crook county. Three-fourths
of this money has been spent within the proposed Jefferson
and Deschutes counties. These are facts. Such being the
case, why should the proposed Crook county, which is less
than one-third of the present county, shoulder the entire
county indebtedness? Is it right?
Two for Home