Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-01-24
4 "WIDE-OPEN" RULE.
HOW IT is REGARDED By THE
OLD REPORTER.

HOW IT is REGARDED By THE
OLD REPORTER.
he who With the Magic Tube has Probed Hid
den Incentive. Does not Need II in His Pres.
eEt COmmcnt-The Powers that Be- Dc
Not Hide Behind Mask-The Law Nav No,
Sanction " Vide Opsnnees;" but in that Cast
Oh the Law.
"The brethren don't seem to be
very happy, do they?" said the report
er.
Whom do you mean" l asked.
"Why our Republican brethren
they have pretty nearly got the whole
cheese and still they are not happy"
Well, what are you abiding to-
now?"
"Oh, was just thinking of those
terms Repudiator,' Anarchist ETC.,
on which they seem to have patent.
Now the ex-Mayor found the city over.
burdened with debts made in viola.
tion of law, law made on purpose to
prevent a set of land boomers from
burying the town in q debt they could
never pay and as the debt was illegal,
unjust and not binding obligation on
the city, he said, let us stand on the
law and refuse to pay the illegal
debts"
"Well, he had the law for that,
didn't he?" Inquired /.
Yes; but now to follow the law is
reputation you see that the poor in
nocent holder of these illegal debts
would lose something and to a man
whose god is the almighty dollar, it is
sacrilege to question the obligation of
debt-see?"
cit must be awful to be a repudia-
tor" said ], "pretty nearly as bad as
being a Populist, isn't it?"
"Well, l should say So" said the
old reporter, and he winked his other
eye with righteous indignation.
But" said he, "the city is in this
fix. 1t must have money, and the
modern morality is embodied in the
advice Of the old man to his son, "My
boy, get money. honestly if you can !;
but, get money"
"Granted," said I, "that the town
must get money, how's it going to do
it?"
Easy enough; see we have got q
business administration now, and
everything goes. 1t is money vs..
morals. You can guess which will
win. You see the saloons pay a IL
cense. It's case of pay the money
and we make no choice"
"Well, hold on" said I, "a man
must have q good moral charact-"
"Oh, to b. with your moral
character. What would a man want
with a moral character TO run q sa.
loon"
But the law says So" said 1.
"Well, that's no odds; why, if you
have the $500 you can get a license
yourself"
"Thank you," said I, "but is that
all~
"Oh no. You see the Knights OF the
Green (members of the royal family
are to chip in and the nymphs du pave
are all going to give us lift, and the
town will have money galore"
"What do you mean? IL the new
Council going to license gambling and
kindred evils?"
"That's it, sonny"
"But these things are both unlaw-
full; how can they be licenseds" said /.
"Oh, we'll; OF course they will not
waltz up to the clerk and plank down
the 'squids' and say want a license
for . bawdy house, or i want all the
privileges and immunities pertaining
to . first class gambler; write out
your ticket You see the thing is
managed on the side, sort of like fly
in your soda at 4 church social. It's
done with q wink you know-this
time an Official wink"
Excuse my obtuseness," said I,
but l was raised in the country and
don't catch your meaning. thought
officers were sworn to enforce the laws,
not to wink at their violation"
Not on your tin-type; the up to
date officer takes his oath with mem
tai reservation. Here's the scheme.
The boys and girls, gamblers and pros
titutes agree TO come in at an official
roundup, say once month. and
plank down q certain per cent, or sum,
as license, but politely called . fine.
This fine is supposed to give the
Mayor and police officers bad case of
strabismus, by which unfortunate af-
Fiction they can appear to look right
at man gambling, or . disorderly
house in full blast, and not see any
thing but . stray COW that had es-
capped from some poor family, and
must be at once impounded. Why,
even without the disease, the officers
fail to see lot Of minors drunk, every
Saturday and Sunday night. and it's
hard to tell what they will be enabled
not to see under this system"
but say, old man, that's anarchy
an agreement TO let the laws be vio-
lated for . money consideration that's
worse than anarchy"
"Now hold on, young man; that's
hard language. The purport OF this
thing is to lessen taxes, and If it pays
its all right, amt III They say the
first roundup brought in two or three
thousand dollars; but these staid, re-
spectacle old stiffs are not onto their
job 40 revenue producers. What they
ought 10 do is to scour the country for
the prettiest girls. brightest and most
intelligent, and then run the She
bangs on a percent-the city control
ling the business. Same With gam.
bling, spread her wide open and take
percent say, twenty-five OF the win.
nings. That's my idea of business.
But don't repudiate; don't-its bad
morals! It's better to anarch little,
il it pays, aud you know the scripture
says, "The want Of money is the root
Of all evil" So-long. young man; get
money-honestly If you can, but get
money"
"Well," said I, "I'll be hanged il
that old reporter has as much moral