Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-02-07
What are Our Solons Doing !?

beell al'pIoNtu u. tiic poNSih-
or and become laws OF the State, dur /
ing the present session, up to the 9th ,
instant:
Appropriating $1,000 for the use OF the
Legislature.
Authorizing the State Auditor to draw
his warrants. ana The treasurer 10 pay
expenses OF the Legislature.
Providing for the payment OF members
Of the Legislature.
CONSERVING the words Territory" and
TERRITORY Of Washington" 10 mean
Estate" and State of Washington"
Changing the name of Seatcot to Bncoda-
Appropriating money TO ray The DC,
fic;crcies iui supplies furnished Hospital
for The Insane 1T Fort Steilacoon-
Appropriating money for tn support CT
the Washington School for Defective
Youth.
preme Court reports.
For the prevention OF deception In sales
of dairy products
of 1858, of Washington Territory, fixing
compensation of An::i.or o: Lewis coun-
ty.
Regulating the voluntary sending of
Giving consent Of Leg stature to pur-
chase and reservation 10y. the United
States of lands within the State of Wash
ington.
penses Of and the manner il which the
salaries Of tho IN i.., Of the Supreme ard
Supcrio. CARTS shall he paid.
restraining unauth OriZed persons from
wearing the badge OF the Grand Army of
the X public in this State.
Providing for the payment of the Incl
dental expenses OF the Legislature OF the
State of Washington.
Completion and furnishing of Hospital
for the Insane at Medical Lake.
Providing for the payment Of the print
ing of the reports OF the late Territorial
officers.
For the preservation Of large game.
Authorizing certain officers and per-
sons to solennize marriages.
Prohibiting making of profit ont of
county, city, town, or other public money,
by any officer, his agent, clerk. servant,
or employee, having control thereof.
Providing for paying the unpaid eN-
pcnses of TIE Constitutional! Convention.
Organization. etc, of Supreme Courts
NOtaries public.
Petit Jurors for Superior Courts.
Fer the relief of Thomas NJ. Reed. Rob
ert Frost and II. Is. McEroy.
Prosecuting public oflense by informa-
ton.
On the 9th instant the Legislature
had been in session just three months,
and as will be perceived by referring to
the list had passed twenty-scven bills.
Ten OF these were for the appropria-
ton of money from the State Treasury,
and five of the ten for appropriations
are to pay the members and for Incl
dental expenses OF the Legislature
OF the remaining seventeen bills, two
are local-changing the name of Seat
CO and fixing compensation of Auditor
of Lewis county-and that which pro-
vides that the words Territory" and
Territory of Washington" shall be
construed to mean State" and Estate
of Washington" merely covers what
is amply provided for in the Constitu-
ton. Another, preventing persons
from using or wearing the badge of
the Grand Army of the Republic in
this State, is q rigmarole OF partisan
bigotry, tomfoolery and discrimination
which has no foundation in justice,
common sense or necessity. There
are many other secret orders in this
State quite as widespread as the Grand
Army Of the Republic, which have
badges that members thereof, and
none others, are entitled to wear. 1t
would probably puzzle any or all of
Of our Solons to give any reason why
this law, if there was any necessity for
it, should not have been general. Still
another bill, regulating the voluntary
sending OF newspapers, which provides
that when papers are sent without ex-
press orders, they shall, whether taken
out OF the Office by the person to whom
they are sent or not, be considered q
gift. il of the same discriminating
character, as it assumes to regulate
contracts between publishers of news
papers and their subscribers, in diff
ferent manner from that in which 9TH
er contracts are construed and regula-
ted. On general principles, where one
man accepts and appropriates the pro-
perty of another to his own use, he is
held responsible to the owner for its
reasonable value, and we apprehend
that the principle will hold good even
applied to newspaper subscriptions.
The major part of the twelve remain
ing bills that have become laws may
have been necessary, but none of them
are of . character that should require
any goat deliberation or delay. They
belong mainly to routine work, nota-
bly, such bills as the two designating
the duties and providing for the CON-
pensation of the reporter of the Su-
e preme Court and for the distribution
OF his reports, and the bill authorizing
certain persons to solemnize marriages,
VIGOROUSLY passed at the instance of
y member contemplating matrimony
who feared he might not make it stick
without special legislation. The fact
is, and we believe it is supported by the
opinion of every man having the inter-
est OF the State at heart who has care
fully watched the proceedings of the
present Legislature, that it has frit.
tered away its time in the considera-
ton of small and trifling matters, re-
latng mainly to themselves, to the
exclusion of those which are of real
importance to the public.
One of the most important interests
of the State is that relating to the
tide and granted lands, and particu-
larry in regard to the latter or so much
thereof rs remains to he selected from
the public domain, which under the
provisions of Sec. 10 of the Enabling
Act, "are to be selected in such man.
ner as the Legislature may provide,
with the approval of the Secretary OF
the Interior" What we have to rec
ommend in this matter is, that the
Legislature lose no time in passing
bill providing for the appointment of a
commission by the Governor, or other
wise, for the selection of such lands
from the public domain as tho ct.to