The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-06-17
HARD PRESSED.


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Rxpssea II she Dsssepssabss Prise
ssee ~ YISshs.g Nseey fss~ 80
pespss. ~ Rssssss - ressy Lyisg
80 Msasessss sSssA<r.
Readers Of DE Po~T-IsTxIrfsKxtks
wiz rememb<f that come tssae ago .
number Of fact. were given 10 The
pubii< relating 70 the publication Of the
s.ws pas~ed b. the last legislature.
The legislature adjourned February 2
last. A complaint aioss the delay in
the publication Of the lsvs was pub
li.hesi in the PosT-IsrKLLzsKscgs
AprsI 4. or sixfy-6ve days after the
legislature had adjourned The laws
we're not ready for distribution until
the latter part Of the first week in
Mar. certainly not earlier than May 2,
Or ninety days after the adjournment
Of the legislature. The delay resulted
n great Inconvenience and expense 70
the people. and the complaint was gen-
ersl and persistent A term o. the
district eouYf In the several lndseiai
districts In the territory was held
within the time consumed BY the
printer II the Laws. and the result
was that certified copies OF the laws
were ordered Of the secretary from
I'll parts Of the territory, mos
0uIv bv county officials. but
also and chiefly by lawyers
In order 70 promptly comply Sifh this
demand, secretary OWING kept in
steady employment . force OF tran
.cribinr clerks. A an illustration OF
the methods adopted in furnishing
certified copies, II may be recalled that
ON February rs. Chief Justice Jones,
OF the supreme court, sitting as judge
OF the district court in Seattle, ordered
certified copies OF certain laws. and
Secretary 0wings sent the copies by
express. with instructions 70 collect
on delivery when sixty-fiye days
hal elapsed from the adjournment oil
the legislature, the complaints became
notorious.
70 publish these complaints TO the
vorld was doing the people simple
iustice. In. Publishing the complaint
the following section from the revised
statutes Of the United States was
quoted:
Section is4i-The secretary tof the Ter
ritoryj shall record and preserve al the
Laws aud proceedings o! tho Legislative a..
senshiy, aud all the acts and procccdinss Oh
the governor In the executive department
he shall transmit one copy Of the laws ana
Journals OF the legislative assembly within
thirty DAYS after the eud Of each session
thereof, u the president, and two copies Of
the laws, within like time, TO the president
OF the seuatc and 30 the speaker o; fhe
house OF representative, for The use OF
congress He shall transmit one copy OF
the executive proceedings and official cor
respondence semi annually, on the hrst
day Of January aud Jaly 10 each year. 70
the president He shall prepare the acts
passed BY the legislative assembly for pub
iicafioa aud furnish q copy thereof to the
public printer Of this Territory. within ten
days after the passage Of each act
The position taken by the people. at
the time, was that this section re-
auires Secretary Owings. among other
things. 10 Transmit the laws 70 vari-
Gus Public officials within thirty days
after the legislature nd journs. No one
win pretend for d moment that the
COPIES referred 90 do not mean printed
copies, and that the printed copies
mean copies printed by the pnbsic
printer. Therefore il was the duty OF
Secretary 0wings To transmit the cop
les referred to, and il they were not
printed il was certainly his duty 70
find out why they were not printed.
II Is fair presumption that he owes
more respect 20 the president oil the
United States than to public printer
Cayanaugh.
This resulted in Secretary owings
and his friends asserting not only
that the department rules Of the IN
terror department were oil superior
Blinking force upon Secretary owings
than the statute, bat also that the
section above quoted had been re-
pealcd. r. H. taya iaugh, editor OF
the Keyabiioaa Tastisan, a weekly paper
published in Olympia, who has n
number OF times, conseeutiyeiy
been appointed public printer
OF the Territory by Secretary
uwlngs, aud who became, il Il
alleged. the Lowest bidder for the pub
lication OF the laws, published In his
paper. in defense Of Secretary Owings,
the following:
The secretary Of this territory has n tn
lug TO do with who shall publish the
laws. or the time when they shall be de
liyefesf ia him hy tho lowest bidder The
directs that the printing ~ the laws aud
Journals he awarded "a the lowest bidder.
sealed bids are received after advertising
In two newspapers Tor six INSERTIONS. The
advertisement Is approved by the comp
troiier II il required by the contract that
the laws yball +, delivered 10 the secrc-
tsry IN ninety days after the session al
lourns.
No one on behalf OF Secretary Ow-
ings ever produced the law which they
said repealed the section above quoted
aud In order 10 secure definite un-
Outstanding of what the law and the
rules OF the Interior Department were
in this matter, :. Il. Frazier, then one
Of the reporters Of the Posr-iSrEiLI-
GExcEa, sent on April III the following
letter 10 the Honorable VIM. r. Villas,
Secretary OF the Interior;
In order To settle dispute hero a< 20 the
time Within which the laws passed by the
Territorial legislature should he printed
aud ready for siistrihatieu. wiii you kindly
iniorm rue what the law Is, and also the
rules Of the Interior DEPARTMENT relating
90 such publics alton; &C, Ii this inquiry
should he directed 10 another department.
will you please have u forwarded. II is
believed thai the qualifications cf the laws
has been unnecessarily delayed.
The following replies have been re
ceiyed.
DEPARTMENT OF rms IsIFsion.
wAni SanaN. May -aud. lSSs,
Ms. :, n FRAsiER, seattle. Washington
ssrs--Rescrriag 10 your letter ct the 10th
aitimo relative 90 delay ia the printing of
laws passed al the last session 81 the Terri
torlai Assembly OF Washington Territory
and snauirisg a. 81 the law bearing on the
subject, apa directed bs the SECRETARY OF
the Interior 81 transmit herewith a cepy Of
a tctter fram the ssscrcigrS III the Territory.
h. u bonn soar letter was referred. contain
Tag The information yoa issirc.
VERY re pcctfailN.
Geo A. HessRp thiet clerk.
The following Is tae enclosure re-
fefrea to.
TERRITORY OF sSnfSara~. !
ssCkKtARs's oFFfCx,
oIYxrtl. ". T.. May itth. i>ss.
iIaS. M. y Villas. Ssssetary OF the In-
trrinF. Washington. n. 4.
ssFs-As yea requested ey YOUR enao--x-
ment under date II May ~, lSsSs. upon the
letter ef NJ Frazier herewith attach my
reply. which hope viii D. satisfactory
Tire session law 81 Washington Tc-titoTy
arr Published under the supervision ~ the
SECRETARY Of the TreASesy. the Hon. First
t0;npsnssiieF having tsnaedistc eharSc 81
the WORK. The printing sad binding i let
Ia the lowest bidder after al advertisement
approved by the Comp;rolteg has hcea in
serss-i foer times ia two weekly papers
pahltshei tn this etty. fac csatrsst WAS
awarded Ia the lowest bidder. " no I'D the
work ansl delivered & within the iimV prs-
scviisad in the Contract
II further evidence or iatoFus,ian y ~
Qnsret 81 sassiAntiafe fay siatemxni ] re-
slsciflitly refer yea 80 tHs First tom r,oali,r
ot the T. :, rroa<nfy.