The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-01-11
GOVERNOR OPPOSES LOBBYING
ECLARES IN FAVOR OF COMMISSION BILL

of acting for time under a law of
doubtful validity.
Il desire also to call your attention
to the necessity of having your bills
correctly enrolled. An examination
of the decisions of our supreme court
will satisfy you that great confusion
has resulted and rights jeopardized
on account of the hasty enrolment of
session. 1 would, therefore, impress
upon you the necessity of selecting
competent and trustworthy clerks for
the performance of this duty, and
especially urge upon the committee
having charge of this work the ne
cessity of care in the comparison Of
the enrolled bill with the original or
engrossed bill SO that it will correctly
represent the legislative will.
"You will be urged in many in
stances to invoke the provision of
the constitution requiring an emer-
gency clause to be attached so that
the bill may become a law at once.
quests so that the provision of the
constitution will be fairly complied
with, as it is a matter of common
knowledge that the interests of the
people are best subserved by the de-
lay of the 90 days intervening be-
tween the adjournment of the legis-
lature and the date the acts take
effect, thus permitting the people to
adjust themselves to the new condi-
tions.
II trust you will confine yourselves
to the Strengthening of the laws we
now have, only extending your field
of legislative endeavor to those mat
ters which have been generally dis
cussed among the people, or which
have heretofore received attention of
the Legislature or Of commissions ap-
pointed by the executive. Under all
circumstances, I believe that the con-
servative tendency of this legislature
will be to see to 1t that this young
child of the northwest is not handi-
capped by any unwise or radical leg
islation that will retard it's growth
or that will return to plague us.
Submit Bills to Supreme Court.
Il am heartily in favor of the sys-
tenn followed in some of our sister
states whereby the Legislature by
two-thirds vote may submit any bill
under consideration by that body to
the judgment of the supreme court,
and under the law it is made the
duty of the supreme court to at once
determine it's validity and so report
to the legislature. I therefore earn
estly recommend the enactment Of
such statute or amendment of our
constitution to permit such prac-
tice, II constitutional amendment be
necessary. On account of the absence
of any such provision by statute or
constitution of our sister state of
oregon, when revenue law recently
enacted by the legislature of that
state was declared unconstitutional
the executive was compelled to call
an extraordinary session of the legis-
lature in order to raise funds so that
the state government and it's various
ence. An amendment or practice such
as l suggest might in the future save
this state the expense Of "a special
session of the legislature.
THE greatest good, in my judg-
ment, which would result from such
requirement would be the fact that,
when the Legislature and the supreme
court have pronounced upon the en-
actment and validity of a statute,
the people and public officers have
definite assurance that the law is
stable and binding, and can proceed
accordingly.
Supreme Court.
TN order to dispose of the con-
stantly accommodating causes before
the supreme court, I urgently recon-
mend the passage of an act, at the
earliest possible time, providing for
an Increase of the membership of
that tribunal from five to seven MEM
bers, and that such increase be per-
manent In my judgment. large prop
erty interests are necessarily endan-
gered. If not injured. by reason of
the delay in the adjudication Of legal
matters pending before tbs supreme
court The further increase of the
bench would facilitate the early dis
position Of criminal cases, and would
warrant such cases receiving a pre-
ferred place upon the calendar early
In the sessions of the court
Justice Brewer of the supreme
court of the United States recently
expressed the sentiment that. Justice
delayed is often Justice denied De-
lay In the trial of criminal cases and
postponement of execution of sen.
tence not only impairs the admin
istration of Justice, hut DESTROYS the
deterring influence which ought tc
| follow the prompt and summary en-.
| forcement of the criminal statutes
! Criminal Code Amend, ant.
II would. therefore. suggest amend.
ment OF the statute to require tina,
| Judgment In criminal cases he enter.
ed Immediately after the verdict ot
guilty is returned; that the time h,
limited in which the person convict
Ell may anplv for new trial: thai
IL his application for new tria
be overruled. the Judgment Of tn,
court NAV he Immediately executed
unless notice of appeal is given; tina
Immediately after the trial ana con
1t