, 1888-02-02
Editorial Correspondence,
OLYMPIA. ". T. Jan. Is, 1883

]
well aired today in the council, on
consideration of Councilman Lewis
bill to create Il commission-and
| Conveys substitute therefor The
substitute was voted down and the
main bill as amended was passed.
| 1t provides in elaborate detail for the
appointment of commission en-
| powered to regulate freights and
fares on railroads, and authorizes
them III the name of the people to
enforce their regulations by suits at
law against any corporation refusing
to abide by the same. The only OBJ
lection to the bill passed is on the
score of expence. il being conceded
that commission costing the terri
tory twelve or fifteen thousand dol
lars would be an expensive way to
regulate what few miles of railroad
we have. Still, the temper of the
people is clearly in the line of Great.
ing a commission; both political
parties had declared in favor of one,
and the substitute mentioned was
voted down because it was deemed to
be defective and perhaps an evasion
of the object sought. Evidently the
time for reckoning with the rail-
Legislature cannot do better than to
enact measures that cannot be mis-
understood.
Jan. 10Th.
A territorial militia bill has been
passed. 1t is good measure, and
calculated to serve the people in good
stead in case of any sudden emer-
geney- 1t was opposed only by MIR.
Keane, the patriotic" dynamiter
from King county, who said: Mis-
ther Schpaker, Oi'm pint blank op
posed to anney sich bill ez that
You're cra-atln a lot av holiday So
jers to dhraw their salaries. Wan
ay these days the mill companies
will put the thumb schrews TO tn
poor laaerin min, an' REFUGE their
wagls to below stharvashen rates, an
thin when they refuse to wark fer
sich wagis the militia will be called
out TO shoot thin down like dawys."
This profound bit Of eloquence,
however, somehow failed to fire the
breasts of those present with that
kind of patriotism-and so the bill
passed. A lot of wasted ammunition
on the woman's suffrage question
reached here too late to effect the
Governors action. Gov. Semple
consided himself a representative Of
the federal government at Washing
ton, and as such did not feel at lib
erty to interfere with the clearly ex
pressed will of the people through
their law makers. He said he was
not misled by the bureau kilograms
that flashed over the wires. They
simply indicated to his mind that
there were lot of active opponents
to woman suffrage, rather than that
a majority of the people really op-
posed it, but still, in the confusion
and absence of any means of ascer-
tanning the will of the majority of the
people, he felt bound to regard the
legisture as the proper law-making
power and himself as merely the ex
ecutive whose sole duty consisted in
seeing that measures especially on
questions of public policy or expedi-
ency were not unconstitutional.
There IS story that conspiracy ex
existed in the democratic party, to
induce the Governor to veto this
measure so as to shelve him politi-
cally and bring Judge Jones promi
nently to the front as candidate for
delegate. Governor Semple when
questioned upon the subject ex-
pressed no opinion beyond the sug-
gestion that the shelf was there
leaving the inference to be filed as
to who would be its occupant This
woman suffrage question has been
fruitful of queer results Politicians
have realized the old adage about
monkeying with edged tools. Un-
doubtedly republicans are mostly re-
sponsible for the law, yet there can
be but little doubt that it has CONTRIB
buted to democratic success. Some
of the strongest 'anti's" take satis-
faction and comfort in the belief the
Hon G. NJ Bradshaw, who was pris
marily the cause of the law being
enacted in the first instance, became
martyr to it, That Mr.. Bradshaw
did cause the law to be enacted by
exerting his enhuence for it at a
critical time when that influence
turned the scale, is undoubtedly true;
but whether or not it caused his de-
feat fer delegate to Congress is not
so certain, although it is we'll known
that the women vote in several CEN
ters of populations went almost
solidly against him. PROFESSIONALLY
the right of suffrage Is generally
known in the nature of policy and
expediency than as an inherent right
such as our forefathers declared to
be fundamental in a free govern
ment. It is a privilege to be exc
tended or restricted according as the
lawsmaking power may deem wise
or best for public good. In WASH
ington Territory, since woman suf-
frage was enacted in 1888, none OF
the dire results predicted have come
to pass. 1t was loudly proclaimed
that the exercise of the elective fran
chise would s'unsex' women that nc
respectable women would vote; thai
they wonld not be respected at the
polls, etc ETC., ad NaGseane. The
bubble has seen that all this was
more special pleading The change
while productive of no radical gooc
results as far az can be ascertained
certainly has not resulted in any
great harm. We have simply haC
an increased number of voters. Mo-
a single case of domestic infelicIty
has been reported as the result ot
!, differences of political opinions be-
tween husbands and wives; neither
has it been shown that wives have al
ways voted by direction of their hus
bands, by any means; neither have
women lost their attractions; mol
neglected their wifely or mofherly
, duties, nor in any way deserted theil
sphere" by voting; neither has i
been true that only fallen and aban
doned women have exercised thu
privilege of voting. Probably abou
the same proportion of good, bad ant