Amador ledger., 1905-03-24
THE GOVERNORS HARD TASK

Governor Pardee has as hard a
task as can possibly fall to the lot of
any mau in a public position, in try
ing to satisfy the various portions
of the state in regard to appropria-
tions. Appropriations have been
made covering millions of dollars be-
yond the estimates. To sign all
these measures would cause a howl
of displeasure all over the state on
account of the high tax rate neces-
sary to meet such vast sums. 1t is
for the governor, in the exercise of
his veto power, to segregate the
actual necessary appropriations to
meet the legitimate needs of the
government, from those which are
not pressing. This is no easy mat
ter. Every senator and assembly
man goes to the legislature imbued
with the idea of getting all he can
from the state treasury for his par
ticular district. If he fails to secure
big appropriations he is classed as
not of much use to his constituents.
This utterly erroneous view has be-
come so fixed, that generally legis-
lators are expected to do as much
looting as possible Indeed the
whole evil of grating, so fagrantly
carried on at each session, is but the
logical outcome of this pernicious
system. A representative will nat
urally argue, If my constituents
want me to get as much as l pos
sibly can for them, and if my stand
ing as a. public servant is to be
gauged from this standpoint, why
should I be particular as to the
avenues through which appropria-
tiOns reach them. 1t seems to me
quite as fair to scatter portion
among my political supporters in
the shape of sinecure jobs, as to
spend it III other ways, more tang
IDLE perhaps, but not more urgent.
This is the very essence of the graft
evil, which has grown to such pro-
portions in California that the gov
ernor is expected to lop off millions
from the appropriation bills every
two years. In fact, this has so be-
come au established custom that the
lawmakers have dropped on to the
game, and make up their demands
upon the treasury accordingly.
They manage to pass appropriations
on the basis of big reduction at
the hands of the governor. At the
present time Governor Pardee is
confronted with the unpleasant but
dutiful task of pocketing, curtailing,
or vetoing outright these cinch bills
on the state treasury. Floods of
kilograms and memorials from all
quarters reach him, to the effect
that this and that item must be kept
intact. Of course, inasmuch as
every legislator is possessed of this
same notion, as far as the money
wanted for his particular district is
concerned, these requests that the
chief executive keep his hands off,
cover about the entire field of ap-
preparations. That is just the
quandary in which the governor is
placed. He must use the pruning
knife literally, and how to do this
without injustice to the interests of
any portion of the state is the prob
lem. The governor is differently
situated to the individual legislator.
His view takes in the state as a
whole. The legislators study their
particular localities mainly, if not
solely. Being elected from the state
at large, the governor is expected
to shape his actions so as to secure
an economical administration. He
has proved himself the right man
for the place, and may be relied upon
to live up to his party obligations
and his sworn duty, regardless of
the hatchets that may be in store
from disappointed politicians.