Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-10-31
They Point With Pride.
Tclcgrglh

IN formulating platform, took occa-
sion to felicitate its party ON the
management of State affairs.
The party has had everything in its
own hands. From top to bottom the
State Administration is Republican.
The Legislature is almost solidly Re
publican. There was every oppor-
tunity for the members of that party
to do good work for the State, if they
wanted to, with none TO molest them
or make them afraid.
What has the State administration
done? What acts stand out to chal
lenge public attention.? None. Stay,
there is one. The State board of pub
lie instruction developed an aggra-
waited case of bribery in connection
of text books. That gross scandal has
been and is being suppressed. Some
guilty have been screened. The
others will so free.
What has the Legislature done
For five months it sat, neglectins its
duties shamefully, and wasting time
and money SO rccklcssly that one
after another of the more far-seeing
members of the dominant party was
impclled to give warning against
a day of reckoning. The files of all
the leading Republican journals in
the State will show that the session
dragged on in SO wretched Il way that
the editors felt compelled to implOre
the members to finish up their work
and go home. These same papers de-
nounce the proceedings of the Lcgis-
lature time after time, and it was only
after its adjournment that, as matter
of party policy, they began to find
excuses for it.
The entire State recognized the
fact that no more absurd and grace
less set of incOmPetents ever assem-
bled as representatives of the people.
The scandals Of the session will be
remembered by all. In both houses
members tried to organize associations
for. the more prompt transaction OF
business and the suppression of bad
measures, and in one this attempt was
treated as crime and the leaders of
it were threatened with expulsion.
Though there was no hesitation in
squandering the public money in
many ways, the virtuous Legislature
solemnly declared it unconstitutional
to pay chaplain for praying for its
members, who sadly needed prayers.
The code scandal is not forgotten.
1t will be remembered that a pet
scheme was crowded through, by the
persistence and scheming combina-
tions of a lobbyist from another State,
and by the trading of votes. There
were frequent intimations that money
was corruptly used to accomplish that
end, but this was not proved and as
the Telegraph always confines itself
to established facls, we do not charge
this. But the job was, in the words OF
Senator Owings, one that paid a
royalty to foreign corporation
"There is big money behind this
scheme" he said; "a constant reven
ue coming in from year to year"
Further, q consider it one of the
worst jobs that ever came before n
Legislature"
Over $4,000 was spent for the ex-
penses of the Legislature. Money
was voted this way and that, extrava-
gantly, till the total amounted to
$75O.O00. New institutions were
created, some of them totally unneces-
sary, which render certain great i'll
crease of expenditure in the future.
Then, unregretted and in bad odor,
the Legislature adjourned.
Its work had been so badly done, or
left undone, that it had to be called
together again, entailing considerable
more expense to the people. This
time is passed an apportionment bill
partisan in its character and SO
botched that two important omissions
of territory have thus far been dis
covered. Thus many citizens can
only vote on the presumption that
they were not Intentionally omitted.
Even the election law passed by
this Legislature is found so defective
that bogus registration is easy and
hundreds of certificates are offered
for sale to any buyer, singly or by the
dozen, and are bought and used by
non-vOters.
What sort of record is this for
party to point with pride to" in its
platform
And what monumental impudencc
is displayed in putting in that plat
form declarations in favor OF an anti
trust law, an anti-Pinkerton law and
a law for the protection OF coal miners,
when efforts to pass such laws were
persistently defeated by the existing
Legislature, almost unanimously Re-
publican D.? Is it not clear that the
platform is only molasses to catch
flies ? 1t is insincere, hollow, hypo-
critical.
The record of the Legislature. is
that it wasted the public money and
stamped out every measure intended
to benefit labor, to aid the farmer, to
regulate corporations and trusts.
The history of the State government
thus far is one of subserviency to the
money power.