Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1892-10-13
Legislative Department.

If there is one thing Of which Ameri-
cams justly feel proud it is their system
OF representation in state and nation, an
assembling of the people, as it were by
proxy, to enact laws for the government
OF their respective constituencies. That
the system has been prostituted to base
ends and the peoples representatives in
stead of being servants, as intended,
have become in many instances masters
and have enacted laws at once injurious
and criminal, does not shake the faith OF
the average citizen in the least. Nor, in
deed, shonld it, for because in some cases
unprincipled men usurp authority and
enact bad laws is no argument against
the principle of representative govern
ment.
Washington entered upon its indepen-
dent sovereign existence OF one of the
sisterhood of states under peculiar, and l
might say unfavorable, conditions. In
babited as it was by two distinct classes
of people-the carpet-bagger and the
homesteader-the former shrewd and un-
scrupuluous, the latter trusting and care
less, what wonder that early prejudices
should make it possible to govern at will ?
AS result Of these conditions the federal
appointees under the territorial regime
easily retained control Of affairs after the
birth of the state government, and today
the major portion Of the state officials are
men who came to the territory OF Wash
ington with commissions in their pockets.
The inhabitants Of Washington, and more
especially of Western Washington, by
reason of the climate, are Of phlegmatic
temperament, and are naturally inclined
to permit considerable usurpation OF
authority and misuse of power before
placing an emphatic veto upon it. This,
coupled with the further fact that they do
not as yet fully appreciate their electoral
condition, has made it possible for Re-
publican legislatures to trample upon
their rights with IMMUNITY. Many of
them came to this country at a time when
it was possible to be Republican, in fact
1t was almost treason to be anything else,
and not having participated actively in
national politics since their arrival, it
seems the natural thing to vote for the
party of the same name which they sup
ported in former days. Knight add here,
as an explanation, that the Republican
party is not nearly SO popular as it was
some time ago. Although Washington
has been state but two years the legis-
lature has been in session more than six
months at cost to the state, for the
members only, Of $4,000. This takes
no account of the numerous clerks and
assistants, nor the wild and extravagant
appropriations Of each of the legislatures,
nor Of the many useless offices created in
order, apparently, to squander the peo-
PIES money the more rapidly. So ex-
travagant have been their appropriations
that each legislature has been appropri-
ately dubbed the "miIlion dollar legis-
| lature."
The incompetence of the members OF
the first two legislatures of Washington
has been almost by-word. The tricks
and antics, and in some instances the
absolutely ungentlemanly conduct, oil
Washington's first state Legislators
brought the blush to fair minded citizens,
and subjected them te-aerited criticism.
On one occasion it was currently reported
that some Of these dignified solons at
tended theatrical performance, and in
stead Of behaving they INDUCED in throw
ing peanuts and other missiles at each
other, and talked in loud and boisterous
manner during the performance. Such
is sample of the men whom the Repub-
lican party has provided to manage af-
fairs Of state. do not say that all were
of this class; some were intelligent and
able men, but they were the exceptions.
Their incompetency as gentlemen
abroad was only equaled by their ignor-
ance Of parliamentary usages and legis-
lative requirements in their respective
bodies. The papers, both Republican
and Democratic, Joined in condemning
their ignorant blunders. The staid old
Republican Oregonian published article
after article of derogatory nature in re-
gard to the first legislature Of Washing
ton, and the Tacoma Ledger followed
suit. But the people they were SC
heartily condemning were not to blame
the voters and these same Republican
papers, together with numerous other
papers throughout the. state, who adj
vocated their election on partisan grounds
were the guilty and blamable parties.
The party skeleton, for it is only skele-
ton, and the sharp crack of the party
whip drove the majority Of the voters to
commit civil suicide. Whenever the
voters OF Washington become sufficiently
solicitous for the welfare of the state to
rise above party slavery and boldly vote
to send men to the legislative halls who
are competent, irrespective OF party, then
will we have government OF which we
may we'll feel proud. Citizens, taxpayers,
voters, will you help to do this in 1892 ?
Irappears from subsequent events that
nearly every measure Of true Importance
and worth was denied by these incompe-
tent officials, and their entire attention