Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-08-26
Some Few Exceptions.

hI'f'HN 81 III" hNlAkn, IL WAS Will
tn t:pNlat'on that NOTHING. should he
r.',-H~. in il ltudatory of the dead.
w';,t.. tin party ha~ been obliged Il
AIRY. and which today J. IL most po
tent actor ii weakness. The promise
la Been "nlv partially kept, bat the
-tri l''nrnt = given circulation 10y IL
for t..c good showing it make, "i ia,
Labor g., many honest. true and >inccr,
workers ior reform, and w reserve the
right to criticize. now and hereafter
some .. it. stat, mcnt> and conclusions
that Ne Do not believe to hc supported
10y iact- or reason.
The object oi the document seems
t. hr Identical with that OF the write
up occasionally made OF cities and
towns; to group together all the favor
able things which may he said of the
enterprise OF y community and to
show how prosperous they have be-
come from an adaptation Of natural
resources, and this is done with the
palpable intent of inducing others to
come in and help carry load that oc.
casionallv gals the shoulders notwith-
standing it may be buoycd by the
sturdy pinions OF eternal Hope. In
order to do this with an appearance OF
fairness and candor, it is frequently
found necessary to embrace in grouping
objects, some things which it is admit.
ted add neither grace to details nor
beauty to the surroundings. The pic
ture, without them, would not be true
to nature nor faithful reflex of exist.
ing conditions. 1t would he inpossi-
bic, for instance, to picture in a street
view, stately buildings here and there,
and omit the shabby untenanted struc-
lures which intervene, without sacri-
ficing that fidelity of detail which can
dor and fair dealing requires.
This is precisely the dilemma pre-
scented to the compiler OF a political
write-up." He must of necessity
find much that is Objectionable, as
long as man is endowed with his earth
ly imperfect nature. 1t is as true that
results cannot be greater and better
than their author as it is that water
cannot rise above its fountain head.
Still, out of this incongruous mass, the
duty imposed is to make the best pos
sible showing. But the compiler can
not remove the imperfect cogs in the
governmental wheel, however little use
they may possess except to keep the
machine from jolting when the revo-
luton comes to the segment they were
designed to properly fill. One might
as we'll Ito use familiar illustration)
attempt to stage Hamlet with the
ghost left out, as to endeavor to write
political history, without some refer
ence to each actor, no matter how
poor a part he has filled or how I'M
worthily ne may have played it.
Among the principal objections, we
find in the work of the compiler, is an
attempt to accord to the freak who
fills the executive chair much of the
credit for the well-directed labors of
other State officers which have pro.
duced such wonderfully beneficial re-.
suits. He says that his accidency's
inaugural message was &C. the first gun
in the campaign for good government"
Now, let US see. Aside from the rec
ommendation for an extraordinary ex-
emption from taxation, which was en-
bodied in law to be "legislated" out of
existence by the Supreme Court, very
little attention was paid to the first
gum" In fact the discharge was re-
garded very much as the report of a
poorly rammed blank cartridge, and
elected contempt for its recommends
ton that the textbooks of our COM
mon schools be printed by the con.
victs in the State Penitentiary, and
universal ridicule for the suggestion
that a Hen Commissioner be appointed
to supervise the product of eggs! But
more attention will be paid to these
matters later on.
"That Capital Job" affords another
instance in which the compiler has
been running his nose after a scent
where there is no palpable odor. 1t is
no local feeling of favor for the project
that prompts this protest, but simply
desire to prune the manifesto of
some OF its excrescences, that prompts
reference to this matter. While the
STANDARD has never been a defender
of Gov. McGraw's administration, this
is a case in which it can safely say that
there is not the slightest evidence of
jobbery that can be attributed to capt.
tOl construction. Not hint was ever
given of such belief, by the enemies of
Gov. McGraw, and they were not few
in number throughout the State. 1t
was McGraw's successor, his accidency,
who made State matter the means
OF wreaking personal vengeance upon
Mr.. Goss, the gentleman who had en-
tered in good faith into contract to
construct the superstructure of the
capitol upon an award regularly made
by the State.
The compiler is probably excusable
under the circumstances. So few
State buildings. have been constructed
without scandals that he probably