The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-06-26

ion was controlled by a money con
sheraton. Take for example, ana
By way of illustration, a member OF
the legislature; suppose that the con
vention nominating him declares IN
favor of a certain policy; suppose
that he goes before the people claim
ing to be in sympathy with that poll
cy. and pledging his utmost EFFORTS TO-
wards carrying it out if elected; sup
nose after his election and before or
after reaching Olympia he strayS INTO
the headquarters Of lobby sklllful IN
nIayilg uDOn human weaknesses, and
Il ,rocting the yellow sraak IN Its
victims. and then does the very OppO-
sire of what he pledged himself to|
the people he would do would he
nor be doing a greater wrong to the
state than the man who should obtain
your horse or your OK by means of
false pretense5? Yet in the one case
the cuIprit would be sent to the pen
iientiary, while in the other he could
not be reached by the law. But it
does not follow that he would escape
punishment. He could be hailed before
the court of public opinion, which,
after all, is the court of last resort,
and there branded as political out
cast and leper. The tempter, at the
time of his fall, whispers in his ear
that he is foolish to let the interests
of the people stand in his own light,
assuring him that the people are so
busy with their own private affairs
that they will not observe his actions.
or if they do observe them they will
soon forget them.
Deserves Public Scorn.
But the culprit should not be for
gotten: on the contrary. he should be
held up to public scOrn and con-
tumely and made an object of public
contempt. to the end that others may
be deferred from committing like
wrongs against the state. AS | said
before, the opinions OF the citizen
ship Of the state should be rejected
in the passage and in the administra
zion of our laws: and this will be
done if the people exercise due dill
gence in the selection Of their pub
lis servants and in the punishment Of
such Of them as may prove unfalthtul
to their trust. From this point Of
view we can understand and appre
ciate the force and the truth Of the
presidents remarks that We are nOt|
to be excused as a people ii we 10
not have the right type of legislation;
and if We do not see to it that the pub
| lie servants OF the nation and the
state fearlessly. honestly and sanely
| execute the law without regard tC
the person affected
The Corporations.
Before closing | wish to say few
words in reference to corporations.
| | have been charged, and the people
Of eastern Washington generally have
| been charged. with being hostile to
corporations especially railway cor
porations This charge is so foolish
that it should fall of its own weight.
We all recognize that the railroads
| have been an important factor in the
upbuilding of the state. But they have
not been the ony factor. They alone
| have not made tA2 state what it is to-
| day. The farmer the lumberman, the
stockgrower, the miner, the manu-
| facturer, the merchant, the mechanic
in short, every one who has assist
ed in the development Of our re-
sources is entitled to a portion of the
credit. But, it may be said, the state
would not be what it is today with
|
| the railroads be what they are today
! without the people and their praise
worthy efforts in the upbuilding Of
the state The men who build and
manage railroads do so primarily for
their own benefit; incidentally they
| benefit the state at large, and for
this they are entitled to due need
| of praise. The same is true of the
man engaged in any other enterprise.
| He engages in it primarily for his own
| benefit, ami where incidentally he ben
| efits others he, too, is entitled to his
| full measure of credit for so doing.
AS no man is sufficient unto himself.
SO no line of business or no avOcatiOn
| is sufficient unto Itself. Each is mu-
| tually dependent upon the other No
enterprise can prosper by itself, or
suffer b. itself. AS our mutual eff
| forts have made the state what it is.
so our interests are in common. 1t
| is foolish, then, to ascribe to any man.
or set OF men, or to any particular en-
/ terprise the entire credit. or undue
credit, for the development OF our re-
sources and the building Of tnis grand
and great commonwealth.
The Railroads.
Il believe that owners OF railroads
should be treated fairly and justly
| The same as any other individual |
! believe their property should be at
forded the IulI protection OF The law
| the same as any ether kind of proper
| ty | believe they should not be
! singled out either for attack or for
the granting to them Of especial priv
| ileges; and | believe they should be
required 10 obey the law the same as
the humblest citizen in the state of
Washington. If, to believe this Is
to be hostile to the railroads, then |
| confess to such hostility.
/ while | believe in according to the
railroads perfectly fair treatment. I
also believe that the managers of rail
roads have no right to maintain a lob
! by Tor the purpose of attempting
| through corrupt means to manipulate