Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-09-30
Mead Justities the Lobby

The Waila Walla Statesman .avs
that Mead has thrown discretion to
the winds in his Eastern Washington
SPEECHES 10y openly espousing the cause
OF tn" railroad lobby, and it quotes
from his speech at Palousc as follows:
- We hear Il great deal from the oppo-
>iil"n press that the Governor should bc
ahl" /" drive from the city of OLYMPIA
the lobbyists who assemble there with
each session of the LEGISLATURE | un
drrtak' t" say 10 v"u that the Governor
can not do that. The LEGISLATURE is Il
free ami open body. Representatives oi
corporations or men interested in any
measure OF legislation pending before it,
have right I" approach il. "
Although Mr.. Mead may be unso.
phisticated, he has certainly thrown
considerable dust IN the above quota
ton to obscure the sight of the voter
when selecting his candidate for exec
utive at the polls. The right of petit
ton was deemed Of sufficient import
ance to he engraitcd upon our funda-
mental law by the first amendment
to the National Constitution. Itmav,
of course, he exercised, in oral as well
as written form, and that is Just what
the Republican candidate has assert
ed i'll justification of d nerversion and
prostitution OF that right.
The vast difference between a peti.
toner and lobbyist; an individual
who presents a recommendation in
decorous form to his representative,
and the professional lobbyist, who re.
sorts TO threats and bribery to carry
measures, the VIGOROUSLY paid hire.
lings Of individuals with q "bar'p
who covet some high position, or of
corporations who want to make the
way easier for their own aggrandize-
ment. 1t is 80 wide that none may be
deceived, but the difference Mr.. Mead
fails to accord.
The acts of the lobby have become
so open and notorious OF late years, as
to cast a scandal over the acts of many
State legislatures. The landing OF
several in the State Penitentiary, i'm.
plicated in bribery in Missouri, has
brought to light-thanks to Attorney
Folk, now made candidate for Cover
nor by grateful people-the astound.
ing audacisy which long continued
liberation had caused. The people OF
this State, likewise, have had an exam
pie OF the effects Of the "bar'r" in elec-
ton OF U. S. Senator, after repeated
trials, and that it was finally successful,
affords verifcation of the gradual de.
cline of the moral tone of our law.
makers. 1t was the paid lobby, if not
open bribery, which made the Legisla.
ture ignore platform pledges for Great
ing railway commission st the last
session.
If Mr.. Mead cannot draw a distinc.
ton between q right of petition by
the people and the criminal work OF
the paid lobbyist, he should not receive
the votes of honest people. So COM
mon has become the work of the pro.
fessional lobbyist in our State Legisla.
ture, that the Knights Of the Green
Cloth seem to have no doubt but that
an immense corruption fund will Sc
cure a repeal of the to them odious
gambling law, and we read that in q
single city 5000 has been subscribed
for the avowed purpose Of debauching
the peoples representatives in the
State Legislature. If Mead is elected
they will have full license to "ply
their vocation"