Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-10-23
Earnest Consideration.

To tho Electors of the state OF Washing
ton: The position assumed hy the Re-
publican party OF this state, arr"gating
to itself all honor and honesty; holding
up 10 the people lis administration of
State affairs as prudent. wise and
patriotic compel- IL TO place before the
voters of this State the following p..i.n
declarations OF fact:
We desire the voters of this State to hc
the Judges whether the facts a. here
tdducci, All of which are taken from the
State records, are the acts of prudence
and wisdom" or the acts of extravaganza
and absolute disregard OF the public
welfare.
NEARLY TWO MILLION AND HALF.
We propose to show that the total
Indebtedness of the State today amounts
t. nearly -, 100000; that nearly all of this
Indebtedness, with the exception Of
500 90, the maximum limit laid down
by the Constitution, has been incurred
against the specific prohibition of the
Constitution, and against the most
emphatic command of the people of the
Stale as expressed al the polls 10y their
ballots on November s, 1872.
We propose further to show that since
the Hon. John III. Mc(iraw took his oath
as Governor, the State Indebtedness has
half, and that by the time his term OF
office shall have expired, it will he found
that for every working day i'll the year
his administration VIII have expended
one thousand dollars day more than lis
income, or, in other words, the State Is
running behind continuously at the rate
OF 81, 900 day, irrespective of interest.
We further propose to show that as the
sun sets day after day, the State indcht-
edness grows more than five hundred
dollars by virtue OF interest accumulation
on the debt incurred. Moreover, that
while the State has at all times been
paving interest on an average of two
million dollars, it retained in the hands
of its Treasurer on an average more than
two hundred thousand dollars in cash,
and that consequently while the State
was paving in the neighborhoOd of $780,
GUa year interest, the hanks in this State
were making between $4,000 and S25,OO0
Il year profit on the Use OF the States
money.
That the puny attempts made to
retrench and economize were but isolated
instances, and that on the whole the
salaries created when the State was
admitted into the Union in 1889, prevail
today. That the average cost of mainte-
nance of inmates in the various penal
institutions has been but slightly reduced,
affairs would have saved this State from
thus plunging into debt at breakneck
speed.
PRUDENT, WISE AND PATRIOTIC.
On the Goth day of August of this year.
the Republican party in convention
assembled at Tacoma, announced to the
voters of this State that it Endorses and
commends 1.-THE prudent, wise and
patriotic conduct of public affairs under
the chief magistracy of Hon. John II.
McGraw; and denOunces as false and
malicious the attacks made upon our
State administration from motives OF
personal revenge and for partisan
"personal revenge" or craftsmanship
prompts the donunciatiOn of such
extrayagant management of public az
fairs! When this Territory was admitted
into the Union as State the people
adopted u Constitution, and III that
Constitution, section l, Article 8. laid
down the following provision with
reference to mourning all Indebtedness:
"The State may, to meet casual deficits
or failures in revenues, or for expenses
not provided for, contract debts, but such
debts, direct and contingent, sins ly or in
the aggregate, shall not at any time
exceed four hundred thousand dollars
(S400, 00O), and the moneys arising from
the loans creating such debts shall be
applied to the purpose for which they
were obtained. or to repay the debts so
contracted, and to no other purpose
whatever"
Human language could not possibly
make more clear and explicit than does
this section of the Constitution the wishes
of the voters of this State. No one can
doubt that it was the most intense desire
of the people of this State to conduct
their State affairs on a strictly cash basis,
to avoid burdening itself and its future
with an interest bearing debt. Yet. as
reasonable men, seeing contingencies,
provided the extreme limit of debt which
the State may incur to cover all reason
able requirements. The trainers of the
Constitution, further foreseeing the
remote possibility of war, invasion or
instruction, made special provision for
mourning special debts for such specific
purposes as is provided in section 2 OF
said article.
EXPANDED " ITHOCT CASH.
Republican Legislature in 1891, find
ing that it could not "eXpand' on q
strictly cash basis, submitted to the voters
of this State an amendment to the
Constitution wherein it asked the people
to give their consent to a further increase
OF the State debt. That amendment was
submitted to the people on the very day
that the Hon. John II. McGraw was
elected Governor, and may practically bt
considered as an instruction given by the
voters of the State to that official, as t
how he should conduct public affairs
The following table gives the vote of the
State on this amendment: