Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-02-10
Washin9ton Standard
OLYMPIA. WASH.
FRIDAY EVENING, FEB. 10. 1899.
A Few Words About the Capitol.

The writer in the L"dycr who SC
dogmatically discusses the conditions
which have and still affect construc-
ton OF the capitol shows that he is
either a tcndcrioot, and knows but lit
tie OF which he writes, or is unfair and
d!,ingeuou>, and seeks to deceive for Il
selfish and venal purpose. All the
circumstances affecting this question
from early Territorial days till the
present time, are SO plain to old resi-
dents and lead up to such an inevita.
bic conclusion when Right and JUS
ticc are considered, that they have
little patience with newcomers who
argue from a partial and very imper-
feet knowledge OF those acts of recip-
rocity and mutual understanding in
benefits conferred, with our county at
times a controlling factor, obligations
which al honest men acknowledge
under the unwritten law OF mutual de-
pendence.
There is scarcely county in the
State but has been benefited for near
ly half a century by liberal appropria-
tlons from the public purse. King
county received the University with a
liberal land subsidy, and no hindrance
placed upon making it immedl-
ately available. Snoqualmie Pass
came up at every annual meeting of
the Territorial Legislature for lotion
in shape of an appropriation for open
ing up means of communication be-
tween Puget Sound and Eastern WASH
ington. The Penitentiary was passed
around and several counties were BEN
Gifted before it was anchored at Walla
Walla. The same may be said OF the
profits of care for the Insane-Cowlitz
and Clarke counties receiving many
thousands of dollars for this service,
until Pierce county fell heir to ser.
vice that affords, besides the expendi-
ture of many hundreds of thousand of
dollars already made for buildings,
q constant source of profit to the con-
tiguous country. All Of the appropri-
atoms during our Territorial govern.
ment came directly from the public
purse, except the lands sold to build
the university and were made with the
understanding that Thurston county
should remain in possession of the, at
the time, empty honor of being the
capital, with the small prestige of be-
ing the Territorial seat of government
and the patronage afforded few
boarding houses a few months out of
the many.
When we became State, the process
OF distributing the good things as
sumed wider scope, and amid normal
schools and eleemosynary institutions
of various kinds, the State has been
pretty we'll covered by streaks of fat
from the public treasury. And, be it
understood, all these institutions as
we'll as the maintenance of the service
through them has been and is paid for
out OF the pockets of the people. This
is done as a matter OF course. Nobody
ever kicks over the aggregate millions
OF appropriations that have been made,
or deems it a burden to establish and
maintain these natural adjuncts to
State government. It remains for the
State capital to become bone of ever
lasting contention, through the manip-
ulation of selfish politicians, although
the people have by decided constitus
tional majority at the polls and twice
through their legally elected represen-
tatives directed its speedy construction
out of a fund already provided for by
the general government, in land
grant which has been officially de-
clared amply sufficient for the pur-
pose.
That it is time for such sordid
meanness to be rebuked is amply DEM
onstrated by bare glance at the as.
sembly in the old rookery, yclept the
capitol, and sniff of the vitiated air
which permeates the crowded quarters
after an hours session. Is it a wonder
that vicious legislation results, when
the legislative brain-boxes are subject
to such sanitary conditions?