Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1890-03-01
Legislative Review.

Salaries are fixed by classification, &C
cording to population. There are 81
classes, class being 5000 and class 81
being 1000 and under. There is a slid
ing scale of salaries going upwards.
Thus, the sheriff of county of 1000
would get $3.50 per year, and of a county
of 10000 $3.50, and of county of 49,
900, $3.50 The basis for the first 1000
is $3.50 for the sheriff and auditor, $155
for the clerk, and so on. Besides, on
business not done directly for the county
the auditor and sheriff would get an
extra salary amounting to go per cent.
of the fees they collected, and the clerk
so per cent. to cover mileage and all ex-
penses. The treasurer, clerk, auditor,
sheriff, county attorney and superintend-
ent of schools are to receive salaries to
be determined as indicated above.
Assessors get SIS day when at work;
county commissioners SIS a day and
mileage; coroners and surveyors are paid
by fees and mileage. Under this bill
the lowest salary of treasurer would be
500. The highest at present is King
county, about $4,000. The weak feature
of the bill is that in sparsely populated
counties officers will be very poorly paid.
In counties of the lowest class, including
Skamania Island and one or two others,
the salaries would be: Treasurer 800,
clerk $3.50, auditor 5000, sheriff $3.50,
county attorney $50, superintendent of
schools $50, assessor about $3.50, three
commissioners about $50 each.
The Senate took up for the third time
the proposition to establish a soldiers
home in accordance with mandatory
provision OF the constitution. Kinnear
moved to reconsider the motion by which
the bill was on Wednesday defeated,
and then Immediately moved call of
the Senate. The call was ordered and
the sergeant-at-arms was instructed to
hunt up and arrest Senators Fairweather,
Watt and Lawrence, who we're absent.
The officer found Senators Watt and
Lawrence after half hours search and
arranged them before the bar of the
senate Amid much laughter they were
excused and took their seats. A vote
was then taken and the bill passed, re-
ceiv1ng twenty votes, two more than
necessary. As there are about twenty
five Grand Army men in the house, it is
not anticipated that it will meet with
opposition there. The bill appropriates
$50, 900.
Two-thirds of the members now here
are in favor of a recess till the 1st of
June or July, then come back and finish
up business. The plan seems to have
originated among eastern members, who
are growing FESTIVE here and want to get
back to their homes, fix up things after
the severe snowstorms and stay till grain
is seeded. Quite number of western
members also are in favor of the long
recess. They fear that the tideland
middle and other mhtters may prolong
the session till April LIST or later, and
they argue that couple of months re-
cess will give opportunity to learn more
thoroughly the desires eff the people and
will result in better legislation on import
ant subjects.
Speaker Feighan asked instructions
as to whether the members absent with
out leave should be paid their per diem.
The House voted to suspend the pay of
such absentees.
The House passed, with amendments,
the senate bill adopting the Australian
ballot system. It provides for the cleo
ton of all officers, except school and irri-
cation district officers and road over
seers, and requires the polls to open
from 9 A. NJ. to 7P.M. The provision
prrhibiting any person from accepting
nomination for more than one office was
stricken out.
At last the honorably disch arged
Union soldiers, sailors and militia men
are to have a soldiers home. Senator
Kinnear's bill appropriating 100000 for
that purpose was passed by the house.
Five representatives, Messrs. Parrish,
Eddy, Cleman, Kennedy and Oliphant,
aud four democrats. Messrs, Weather
ford, Flummerfelt, Meade and Judson, of
Pierce, voted against it.
Mr.. Cook introduced a bill in the
house imposing a tax of 10 cents on
every hundred pounds of fish. oysters,
clans and crabs, the license to be paid
into the school fund. Mr.. Minis thought
such law as this was needed to reim
burse the counties for the expense they
are put to in quelling the troubles
among the fishermen. Mr.. Megler, who
is Columbia river Gamer, said that the
imposition of this tax would be an in
Justice to the Gamers and would have
tendency to drive the salmon packing
industry out of the state, and especially
so. as on account of overproduction the
Gamers have so far made no propositions
FOR this wars work. He advised that