Newport vs. the Census: 'Colville Should Come Out of Her Dream'
When the secretary of state counts only 1,000 residents, Newport's paper fires back: we are 1,800, the county's largest city—and tired of paying for Colville's improvements.
Secretary of State Nichols, in his estimate of the population of the various cities of the state, gives the population of Newport at 1,000. Mr. Nichols doubtless obtained his information from some county seat authority. The chances are that the aforesaid county seat authority has never visited Newport, it being too far away for him to venture from home. Of course they are not posted regarding Newport over there. All they appear to care about this end of the county is to have us pay our proportion of taxes, so that they may spend the amount in improvements—at Colville and for Colville. Newport has a population of about 1,800 and is the largest city in Stevens county. It is not only the largest city, but the best city, and is growing more rapidly than any other town in the county. Colville should come out of her dream.
“Newport has a population of about 1,800 and is the largest city in Stevens county... Colville should come out of her dream.”
Population estimates decide grants, representation and bragging rights, and rural towns still cry undercount when the census shortchanges them. Newport got its revenge in 1911 when Pend Oreille County split from Stevens and Newport became the county seat—but the tax-and-county-seat grievance is evergreen.
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