Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-11-23
Laws That Pick Our Pockets.

Laws That Pick Our Pockets.
Spokane Chronicle.
The observation of Mayor Belt that
it would be useless to ask the State
Legislature to do anything for Spo-
kane in the line of new charter
when there is Senatorial election
pending probably reflects the Opin-
ion OF large number OF our citi-
zens. The Senatorial fight seems to
be waxing even more bitter than it
was two years ago when the Turner
Allen contest absorbed the attention
of the Legislature for an entire ses.
sion, resulted in shameful neglect of
public business, an outrageous waste
OF the peoples money in extravagant
and ill-considered appropriations and
disgraceful iasco, which left the
State with only one representative in
the United States Senate during
critical period in national affairs. The
amount of personal venom, abusive
recriminations and factional intrigue
already injected into the contest for
the Senatorship, will, if left unrebuked
and unchecked by the responsible
leaders OF the Republican party in
| this State, lead to result even more
disastrous TO the interests of the peo-
pie than was the record of the Legis-
lature of two years ago.
The people of Washington have
now reached point where they must
either obtain some large and adequate
measure of relief from over taxation or
face public and private bankruptcy.
Another three million dollar Legisla-
ture will ruin the State. The existing
system OF State, county and municipal
government, with its elaborate, ex-
cessive and wide-reaching scale OF
fixed charges upon the resources of
the people, cannot longer be main
tanned. The money spent in the
various State Commissions alone
some 100000 or more-should be
sufficient to conduct the entire State
government, outside of its public in
stitutions. When you add to this
such items as the expenses of each
State office (from $4,000 to $4,000,
and generally nearer the latter figure.)
10000 for State printing and over
10000 for the National Guard-to
name only a few items OF expenses
among many-the enormous strain
upon the taxpayer becomes apparent.
But worse than this, perhaps, are
the items OF compulsory expense sad
died upon the city and county govern
ments by State laws. Spokane county,
for instance, is obliged to support
three Superior Judges, with their
clerks, bailiffs and court costs, where
only one is necessary. During the
past year Spokane county has had to
pay $33,673 for juries alone, nearly all
OF them in civil cases where the costs
should have been paid by litigants
The court bailiffs cost the county ST..
500 per annum and the Judges and
clerks nearly twice as much more.
The county pays SIS, 500 per annum for
two city justices courts, with their
clerks and constables, whereas one
Justice. doing his own clerical work,
would be amply sufficient. The law
allows the Sheriff. with the permission
OF the County Commissioners, to
charge the county sixty cents per day
for feeding each prisoner under his
charge-at least double the actual cost
OF the service. The law also permits
the " constructive fee" swindle, allow
ing officials to charge for duties never
actually performed, and saddles city
government with the unnecessary ex.
penses of municipal courts and court
clerks.
When the friends Of good govern
ment think of all these and hundreds
OF other abuses, crying to the State
Legislature for redress, in the face of
this selfish and absorbing game of the
vacant Senatorship, no wonder they
are sometimes lisheartened. But the
effort to reform these abuses and to
get Tor US new, simple and economi-
cal city charter must be made. This
can only be accomplished by the
power OF public opinion. Let our best
citizens organize into u non.partisan
good government league, as the citi.
zens' charter committee organized last
spring, and let them urge upon our
Representatives-elec the necessity,
the iron-clad duty, of settling their
Senatorial squable quickly at Olympia
aud doing some honest, effective work
in the interests of the people.