, 1890-01-19
JUST AS Y0U LOOK AT IT..

Instead of trying to meet the legitimate
criticism Of THE LEADER on Governor
Warrens message, the Sun endeavors to
be sarcastic by expressing a regret hat
the message Of the governor was not sub
mitted to the editor of this paper sooner
than it was. 1t might have been less
oily, but it certainly would have been
more straightforward if it had been.
Governor Warren's message was
smooth and attenuated. 1t showed dex-
terity in skirting around dangerous issues,
but that it was an able document, a.
the Sun denominated it, We beg leave to
doubt and will give a few reasons for our
convictions.
When any candid man looks over the
past two years, which the message is sup
posed to cover. he finds that the
most striking and we might say
startling feature of our public al
fairs has been our finances. While
money has become scarcer and scarcer
through a combination of causes, taxa
ton has increased in almost equal ratio.
We have erected public buildings at great
cost. we have established public %institu-
tions for which there has been no great
necessity and in some cases no necessity
at all. Immense sums of money have
passed through the hands of the various
treasurers, municipal, school district,
county and territorial. and the benefits of
tue same have accrued not to the public,
but to the respective treasurers. We
have paid more money to public officials
in the way Of salaries, fees and contingent
funds than they could have earned in any
other business of corresponding impor-
lance and responsibility or than the
exigencics of public necessity required
them to use. Above all, the burthens
of this onerous taxation have fallen in
fearful di%sproportion upon the shoulders
of the people least able to bear them.
viz: the poorer classes. People with
small holdings have paid proportionately
one-hali more IN the way OF taxes han
people with large holdings.
Now, under all these circumstances, il
Governor Warren were a statesman, or
if he we're ever a man wko held the pub
lie good above every other consideration,
his message would have rung with honest
Indignation in pointing out the inequall
ties of taxation, the disproportionate sala
ries Of public officials ana the manner in
which, under the sanction OF the law. the
public treasures have been relieved an
nually of thousands of dollars which 90
into the pockets of the oficeholders in.
stead of the public treasures, and thus
tend to increase the grievous burthens
which the people now bear. With his
experience in public and private affairs he
could have made out such a case in favor
OF the people that no Legislative body
would have dared to disregard the warn,
ings, to avoid the dangers and remedy the
evils which he would have pointed out.
Bat being a politician with '%'aspira-
tions' he could not do anything to antag-
ouize the powerful class which prefers to
have things as they are. 1t was safe for
him to repeat with parrot-like precision
the recommendations Of the various terri
t)rial officials and throw the responsibility
of any proposed reform which he was
forced to recommend upon the shoulders
Of the constitutional convention, or the
public official who had the termerity to
make the suggestion. We believe the
time has passed when the utterances OF
public officials, made solely with an eve
to their own future chances for political
preferment, should receive unreserved
commentator at the hands of the public
press. The peoples day is now close at
hand. They may not accomplish the re
forms for which there is such a crying
need at the present session OF the legisla
ture, but the point at which forbearanca
ceases to be a virtue has almost been
reached, and the needless oues will some
day be buried under such an avalanche
OF publio opprobium that they will never
emerge to tell the tale.
II Delegate Carey can only induce the