Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-03-30
A Significant Movement.

A Significant Movement.
One result Of the hard times which
the people of Washington, in common
with those of all other States in the
Union. are suffering from, is a general
agitation going on all over the State
in favor of greater economy in the
conduct of public affairs, State, county
and municipal.
Almost every State paper contains
reference to such movements. In
Colfax, the center of the great wheat
producing region of the State, a largely
attended meeting of representative
taxpayers of all shades of political
opinion was held recently and COM
mittees were appointed to thoroughly
investigate the condition of county
affairs, with view to requiring from
the public servants o closer attention
to the details and the enforcement of
rigid economy and businsss-like
methods in the collecting and expend-
ing of the peoples mouey.
A like investigation has been set on
foot in Clarke county, the great fruit
section; in Garfield county, and in
most OF the larger cities, in relation 10
municipal affairs.
During good times when every one
has money, the payment of taxes is
not the burden that it becomes in
times like the present, when every one
lie called to retrench in their personal
expenditures to meet the reduction in
income. With every personal ex-
penditure being thus rigidly scruti-
nized, it is but natural that attention
should become directed toward public
expenditures, which are met directly
from the pockets Of taxpayers, and
that the enforced personal economy
should lead to demand for like
economy in the conduct of public af-
fairs.
This agitation. going on in so many
different places in the State, is result.
ing in bringing home to the people
the fact that county and municipal
governments are primarily business
agencies for the transaction of the
public business of the community, and
not in any large sense governments,
endowed with political power.
AS county and municipal organiza.
tons have no substantial political OF
legislative capacity, no reason exists
why considerations of party politics
should enter into the selection OF the
officers of such organiza lions, and
more than the selection of employees
for any private business.
When this slost sight OF. and such
Offices are distributed as the reward
for partisan services, it is no more
than natural that the public servant
should look upon his Office as q "pri-
vate snap" rather than q "public
trust" and should be more active in
continuing the class of partisan ser.
vices which led to his selection, than
in the performance of the duties of his
Office.
This was aptly expressed by bu-
reau employe at Washington in the
days before the civil service commits.
sion, when sharply reprimanded by q
superior for idleness. "Why," said
he, 81 had to work too Internally hard
to get in here to feel much like work.
ing now"
The AGITATION nov going on in 80
many places Independently may re.
suit in q concerted seton in the near
futu.e TO endeavor to withdraw all
county and municipal offices from
partisan politics, and to make the sole
test for such public offices honesty and
capacity, and faithful and honest
performance of duties the sole pre-.
requisite to reelection.
Then, and only then, will the public
business of the county or municipality
he conducted ON business principles
and the public revenues be economical.
ly conserved and expended.-Ez.
GRAY's Harbor shipped 1886, 900 fee,
of lumber by water during February.
Hoquiam's exports were 8 ,2l8 900 feet
Aberdeen, 100000 feet; Cosmopolis,
600 600 feet. Besides this the North.
western Lumber Company. of Port.
land, shipped 20 carloads to Eastern
trans-continental points.
|
A FLOOD at Wsllula, on the 22d inst.
come within 20 inches OF the high
water of 1882. A number OF gardens
have been destroyed, fences destroyed,
haystacks ruined. and one farm house
was completely wrecked by the raging
torrent.
LOGGING bees are quite in vogue in
the Willapa timber settlement. The