Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-01-10
Wa5hingtpn Staudara
OLYMPIA, WASH.
fElDAY EVENING, JANUARY 10. 1896.
Still Carping.


1t Is with regret we observe that our
usually clear-headed colleague, the
Seattle Ecri,W, takes "a pcsSimistic
view Of the construction of the State
capitol. 1t says:
Olympia Is deeply Interested in the
matter ii the completion ui the State
capitol. She has raust. Tor anxiety. for.
II the same rapid progress is made iii
The future as in the past, the foundation
Will be crumbllng ruin before work on
the superstructure Is ready to commence.
Then the Olympians should remember,
that Republican methods of doing
business in this State are past finding
out, and until the fund appropriated for
the building is in such shape that every
political sharper III the commonwealth
can insert his grab-hooks, little will be
done in the way OF actual work.
Why is it not natural that Olympia
should feel = deep interest in the mat
ter OF completion of this important
work? Why should it not be expected
that the people of the whole State
should feel a sympathy for them in
their efforts to secure this much
needed adjunct to State government?
Why there should be the least opposi-
tion to this project seems strange to a
community who have by their votes
and influence aided in the cOnstruc-
ton and support of public buildings
all over the State. King county has
drawn her hundreds of thousands of
dollars from the public treasury for
the State University, to say nothing of
the tens OF thousands that were drawn
from the Territorial Treasury for de-
veloping the Snoqualmie Pass; the
same thing can be said of Pierce and
her Hospital for the Insane and the
Natchess route across the mountains.
Then Spokane came in for her slice of
pie, and Garfield, and Kittitas, and
Clarke and Lewis and Walla Walla
have apportioned out the remaining
plums in the way of public buildings
whose expense OF construction, al.
though large, has been put small
proportion of the tax involved for
their maintenance. There was no de.
lay i'll the erection of either of these
buildings nor in payment of their cost
from the public purse. There never
has been any hesitancy in providing
for their maintenance in a manner to
comport with the dignity of the State.
Thurston county has never been
backward in support of all measures
that had for their object the good of
the State, and never has begrudged q
rival community any of the benefits
that might be derived from a dispen-
sstion of the States patronage.
Why our people should have been
singled out for exceptional treatment
in the distribution of public benefits,
after the people by a decisive vote had
permanently located the capitol and
their representatives in two succeeding
legislatures had said that it should he
built, finds no support in reason. The
sophistry used to justify it now was all
used when the bill was last before the
Legislature and when the economic
conditions were substantially tho same
as they are now.
While we find but little justification
for the delay upon which the Review
doubtless predicates its forebodings OF
crumbling ruin," we now believe
and for the first time-that the Capt.
toll Commission will proceed expedi-
tiously with the work. We do not
care whether it is built under Re-
publican" or other methods" so that
we have q State building that will
properly accommodate the business OF
. progressive commonwealth. We
want clear heads to frame wholesome
laws, and we can only secure them
by providing for the comfort and per-
feet health of the lawmakers while
engaged in that important work.
Somebody has said that the way to
mans heart is through his stomach,
and it may be as truly stated that to
preserve mental equipoise strict atten-
tisn should be paid to bodily health.
A building constructed upon modern
principles OF sanitary development we
believe would do more to cure vicious
legislation than all the moral precepts
that could be thundered into the ears
OF our Solons. With surroundings in
which they could not help feeling a
pride, their labors would undoubtedly
be performed with higher degree OF
conscientiousness. A good workman
is known by the condition of his tools,
and by an inverse process of reason.
ing good work may be assured by pro.
viding the best OF means by which de-
sired results may be produced.
The SAME IN OREGoN.-The State
Board of Equalization which made
the State tax levy for Oregon esti-
mated their services to be worth $40
per day, and their clerk received the
same pay. After wrestling with the
problem of how much the people
could be made to stand despite the
hard times, they finally concluded to
place the tax levy at Z mills, more
than twice the figure OF last year.