Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1905-03-17
A LACK OF NERVE

All this talk about how Governor
Chamberlain played a cute political
trick and put the Legislature in a
hole is the cheapest kind Of fol-de-rol
The fact Of the business is, Governor
Chamberlain is as deep in the mud as
the Legislators are in the mire. AT
the beginning, the Governor very
sensibly insisted that the Normal
school appropriations should be placed
in a bill to themselves. This the
Legislature was not willing to do.
Then the Governor gave it out cold
that if his request was disregarded, he
would veto the general appropriation
bill, LET the consequences be what they
might. The Legislature still refused
to yield to the Governors wish, and
the Normal items were included in
the general bill. The Governor then
realized that the Legislature was pre-
pairing to give him a chance to make
good his threat, and his nerve failed
him. Instead Of standing his ground
and demanding that the Normal items
and appropriations for other state in
stitutions be placed in separate bills,
he began to look about for a way to
dodge his responsibility and finally,
In looking over the general bill,
his eye fell upon the emergency
clause. The emergency clause-happy
thought! Here was a means Of escape
from his awkward situation. He
would threaten to veto the bill if this
emergency clause were not stricken
out, and il the threat had the desired
effect upon the Legislators, then the
whole responsibility would be shifted
from his shoulders to the shoulders of
the taxpayers. With the emergency
clause out Of the way, he would give
the bill his approval, then, if the peo-
pie didn't want it, they could invoke
the aid of the referendum In putting
it to sleep. In other words, he would
call upon the taxpayers to do that
which he had not the grit to do him
SELF The patriotic statesman, bleed
Ing sympathy at every pore for the
poor, down-trodden taxpayer, had be-
come the crafty politician, mindful
only Of his own welfare. Governor
Chamberlain we'll knew that no single
item in the general appropriation bill
could be killed by the referendum
without killing the whole bill, and so
expressed himself to an Oregonian
correspondent after the fight was over.
He was willing, however, to throw the
entire responsibility onto the people
rather than risk his own political
chances.
The course pursued by the Governor
may have been a Smooth piece of
political work." but it is no more
creditable than the course pursued by
the Legislature. Neither have done
anything Of which they have just cause
to be proud. The Governor is Just
now receiving a whole lot Of silly and
unearned praise in the columns of
Oregon newspapers, while the mem
bers OF the Legislature are still being
roasted by these same papers. This
hysterical outburst will doubtless soon
spend its force, and sober second
thought will take its place. We be-
lieve it will then be clear to all that
Oregon's Governor started ont on the
right theory, by demanding that
certain appropriations be provided for
In separate bills; that he had the peo-
pie Of the state standing back Of him
in his demand, and that he could have
carried his point, to the states profit
and his own credit, had he not lost his
nerve when the critical moment came.