The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-01-27

distyicss shall SO oat OF ofaee q The end Of the
nr2 year. and the senators elected in tie
even numbered districts shall 90 cut Of ofssce q
the ead Of the third rear.
II this provision Is carried into effect
and. apparently. il must he--she senators
nom King county vii serve only during
this legislature. senator whaliy. OF Whit
man. . short term man. maintains that the
spirit OF the constitution. and not the let
ter. should Be followed. and that half of
each county delegation be elected at alter
nate elections, and not all at one time, as
the constitution provides. II whalieys
plan were followed half the short term and
hall the long term senators would 20 out
o. ofiice with the close Of the present ses-
sion. If an attempt is 10 be made at all to
dodge the effect of the provision.
u viii come up in the reapportion-
ment OF the state INTO senatorial
districts. as provided in the constitution.
But it is extremely doubtful If the short
term senator's viii try any distortion of the
organic law in .heir favor Senators VIII
son, Long. Van Houten, Watt and Thomp-
son OF Pierce, meeting together several
days since, informally talked over the situ-
alton. In the absence Of definite knowI-
edge OF the alleged plans OF the short term
men. nothing vas done. Ii had been pro-
posed to hold caucus of Iong-term sena-
tors; but so many were sick, absent or un-
able to attend. that it was deferred.
The code business has worried the pa-
tence of both the legislature and public
and though the Hill bill has passed the
house. the matter seems little nearer settle
ment than before. The vitality of this bill
has been surprising. 1t was thought TO be
dead. and the common prophecy was that
IT would not stand ghost of show in the
House; yet, strange to say. IL came to life
and passed. Now the Senate. which has .
large sprinkiing Of lawyers and which has
always been declared to be especially favor
able to the proposition. offers the most de-
cided objection to it. They all want Mr..
Hill but they don't want this bill. II Q
compromise can be made by which he
will agree TO do the editorial work alone,
without regard TO the printing. both b ouses
would undoubtedly be willing to pay i'm
any reasonable sum. But it seems it cam
not be done. Many friends Of Mr.. Hill are
enemies to his bill. and will use every effort
TO defeat it. The whole matter is SO uncer-
tain that no safe guess can be made as to
what viii become of the bill. Everybody
viii want to say 81 told you SO. whether
il is passed or beaten. One thing is sure,
however, the longer the delay the better
for the bill. Senators who have been OPP
posed to it will at the last moment vote for
it in hopes of settling question so long
unsettled.
Politics, so unevenly divided bstween
Republicans and Democrats, has lately be-
gun to cut q considerable figure in legisla-
tion, and dseveralingeniously laid traps have
been exposed. Stevenson's adjournment
resolution was q partisan measure,
and politics appeared in the action on the
bill giving corporations control of unnavi-
gable streams for logging purposes. Rotch.
who introduced the bill, was warned IN
time to withdraw it. McReavy. chairman
of the committee on harbors and navigable
waters. was about to submit favorable re-
port, and there is possibility that the bill
might have gotten through the House and
Senate. It was evidently the purpose of
McReavy and of Stevenson, who said he
would again present similar bill, to push
the bill through. and then saddle upon ths
Hepnn1lc4n Do6lslnfuIe the ro1p 1ponsitll lllty -
corporation legislation. The scheme was
nipped In the bud.
Adjournment Is being more se riously
considered every day. The legislature has
been in session since November 6, now
eighty days, and it is certainly time to
make definite plans TO get through and go
home. The Senate has amended Steven
sons House resolution so no new business
can be introduced after February 10. and
even II it is adhered to--which is not likely
the last day cannot be reached before
March Is. The prospect for early adjourn
ment decreases in inverse proportion as
the urgency OF adjournment increases.
The three ambitious reporters who have
been subjected to the ordeal Of an investi-
CATION are not likely to he removed from
the anxious seat for several days yet OF
course it is improper to prophesy as to
what the report Of the committee will be:
nevertheless speculation on the subject has
been rife for dav or two. Opinions are
various Some think all three will be ex-
PEELED. others that Scott alone will he ex-
cluded from the House and the two others
sensured; others. that all will be severely
censured and warned, and others. that no
severe finding viii be made. The report
will doubtless be made this week.
The committee would have completed
the investigation ere this had 1T not been
for the annoyance and indigniiy heaped
upon il ty Brown. the perverse member
from Spokane. Brown is a curious charac-
ter. OF the most pugnacious disposition
and forever at cross purposes with the ma
jority of the House. he is generally re-
spected for his hard sense and evident
honesty and desire to serve the best in
ferests of the state. Scarcely a day passes
but his voice is raised in vigorous opposi-
ton to some measure that he declares
either vicious or extravagant. and bis pro-
test often prevails. He possesses native
eloquence and wit. and, in fact. makes az
strong a speech rs any member of the
House. He has profound contempt for
all manner of authority, and is never out
of trouble. He has conceived the idea that
this investigation amounts TO nothing, and
has not hesitated TO so express himself in
his own vehement language. sometimes
gsrnished with profanity. on every oc-
casion. Brown narrowly ESCAPED being
brought before the bar OF the House yes
teftiay; and trouble is in store for him to-
morrow for his oontemptuous treatment of
the committee.
There is danger that the purposes OF the
entire investigation may he defeated by
Browns obdnracy. The committee will to-
morrow ask that effectual steps be taken to
require him 70 answer or TO he excused
from further service. Brown Is pretty GER
tain to refuse. and II his Feasibility is
aroused, to set the whole House at defiance
II may come to a Stage where an attempt