The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-01-26

.. OF the superior courf-gurors'
and witness Fee. should Be Re-
aaeea-Too Nueh Government.
Al ne general meeting % The Tax and
Tetrenchnaeng Association held yesterday
afternoon a. the caamber o. Commerce,
tbs recommendation Of the committee On
LEGISLATION took q pronounced form in the
r@port submitted for discussion b Thomas
" Prosea. chairman OK he committee
IL the absence o. Chairman +. Y. Dag. o.
tie association. Addison Smith was called
upon 30 preside ever the deliberations %
zhe meeting. After the reading % the Taifa-
ugss 81 Lass Saturdays meeting, uHGeg the
head o. reports Of COMMITTEES, ar. Prosca
presented ais report. wagcn was as toaie~s:
Seattle. Jan =. 1897.
10 the President and Me.no ers u the
Tax ard EaEYsnc3lmeu1 Assoe8A tior---tss n
rleE@n. The committee OF retreuc fstIleilE
reports that ia the short time a. is Gas-
Gsasal II has been unable 10 go thoroughly
over the ground assigned 10 Sc, and AZ the
same time prepare such a statement Tor
presentation and publication a. sne clf-
cBnlstances warrant without further
preface rs findings and Fecosna.s mat sozls
are here given:
state Affairs
The constitution provides for = legis-
.atgre composed of a house or siKty ft>e
saem Oers ana a senate OF twenty -cEie-
eighty four IN both bodies This commit
tee believes that q legislature OF eighty
four mem beers would render as good ser
vice 10 the state As one Of ~ members,
and that the people generally ~ousa re-
Joice la a reduction from the larger NUM-
Der Of lsgisla tors 10 tne smaller number
lad ca ted. It il also believed that luste4A
o. a per diem Of - for one s4xty day pen
rial session 81 would be better 10 pay les
fs.ators 40 for tho two-year perlod, fae
sessions being longer OF ssorters as taey
81 their wisdom deemed best with =
smaller number 81 legislators ana a So
ar a. sugR~ales. the sessions would IN
doubleday D. shortened, there would -
fswer sspsrnumerarlez. 4rss time wolAd
D. spent IA tee elertion ot senators, @hi
the legislative expenses reduced Pfoo@Diy
.'rbe committee wishes 70 adj SIS sup
rorf 20 fne movement looking 20 tue SIM
Y.lncatlon OF the machinery ~ state gov
eminent. There ere enufeig t0g HtAg
commissions and boards. tne legal Hlpln<
out of tbs majority cf when. Z Aoi per-
laps the xhole uumoeT, would - az IN
Isecled with toe Institutions REPRESENTED
by rhese boards and commissions can %
allfe - Wei attended 90. and 81 very
much less eHItstse, - neN eo'illinl-sl9h
eomPoset ~ the Bovsrnor Ano otAof re-
sgunsi0le paid state officials
.'lt j. hoped tlatrthe legislature VII do
sWay with the ealary fund u connsc ion
with county affairs. The eject Of tnls
fund h 20 establish a favored class, VINO
receive hard money fof what 10 due them.
While the merchant. tne iAborcr, we COZ
tractor. TIE Juror Witnesses aud pubic gen
orally receive paper. Nhich they ere COM
PEELED often 20 part with az large discount
This not only hurts Them. put IN turn
hurts the community, wnich has 20 Pay
impaired Doing away With the salary
fund would IN many counties be al that
j. required 10 bring warrants 20 par. ~
consequence Of which the officials would
A. no wise De injured. while the taxpayer
would be materially benefited.
1T Is believed that there are IN the
state TOO many branches OF the superior
court. The number can probably De re-
duced ol.e third. Much Of the work done
n tha superior court can be done ia the
ana an les expense. by extending the jur-
tsdictlon Of the latter. u Is Thought that
in civil cases these justices should nave
power 20 Try issues involving not more
than 500 - ln territorial days. IN hoth
courts lltigants In civil cases should pay
'sJur6rF fees should be reduced 10 $50
or s. a day. The United States has no
trouble fiillng us panels ~ =, while the
state - Washington pays 81 and ~ con-
sequence Ills The boxes with polltlcai pets,
oficiai hangers-on ana men generally less
worthy than those secured by the Fedefa4
government for ike purposes.
''1.he pay suggested for Jurors - also
sufficient fer witnesses. The committee
has been urged 20 recommend that Wit
neNEes In criminal cases and witnesses at
e0roner's inqueHts be paid no fees ana
the idea s. acre presented 10 the 8ssocla-
ton aud the legislature Tor Constellation.
THE allowance for mileage 10 teG}ssa-
tors. state and county officials, jurors,
witnesses and others should not exceed
6 cents per mile necessarily tTaNeied.
Even az that price the public traveller viii
usually have a very handsome margin as
the result of his trips 20 devote 20 meals,
lodgings and incidental expenses
Election officers should be paid one
dollar per day Of eight hours. each major
fraction thereof being considered day.
a. this rate there would b. no trouble IN
flung election boards, and t0ere would Dc
an enormous saving Of expense
I'VE have entirely too much govern
uent ana too many persons officially con-
seFn@d IN ffie government. We trust that
the legislature viii look with suspicion
naa dlsapproval upon measures contem-
mating the cFea f0n OF neW places tor nun
Ery politicians. somewhat IN thls line We
std our Enforcement 20 the proposition in
certain cases 20 consolidate county, city
ana school governments, and We express
the hope that some feasible plan Tor car
rvtng out this idea will he found during
the present session OF our state lawmak-
ms body.
County Anstrs.
'HT'ae subordinate employees ~ the coun-
Is are generally paid more than are the
like employees OF the city. They are the
same Glass ~ men and women. ana they
render similar service, The pay should ee
tho same The city could fN It's places
many times over without increasing COM
Yensation, and thu couuty employees would
cheerfuuy serve 81 the city rates These
places should not ~ made 80 attractive
that men wiz ~ led 70 give up for them
the ordinary avocaIions 81 private life.
that they VII scramble and nEht Tor
them. that they VIII pay money and DO
q her dtsnou0rahie thinEs Tor thcm-thiuEs
that va know are being done every year.
and All taa time % secure those soft and
comfortable subordinate positions As 20
- the pay - not only more. generally.
than tha same people esn get in the fields
ef private iife. hug TIE work d easter ths
hours sre fewer, the holidays more nu-
sssrouS. ard in almost every way the ste
Nations more pleasant We feel sSsure
that the ntn Der o. county employees ea n
- considerably reduced ana THAI the pay
% many % those remaining can he cut 10
The nuhltc advantsEe.
The county ~ paying more than double
what tha ctfy is paying for the board az is
prisoners. TIE only TNascn Tor Fh.s seems
- - tAe desire 90 increase the emoiu-
merits ct the sheriff. The county should
a.so set the fnN BENEFIT % the board og
sieta ana Enite3 States prisoners IN fAa
conn-y 1alA. Jac coanty should furnish
cock and serve tAe food through fits own
nserts. cr Is should make provision Ter
feeding the prisoners. as the city dees. hv
consr&ct iet 80 tae lowest Alfagr In iris