The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-05-15

souri,, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska will
undoubtedly be short. None of these
states will have % per cent of crop.
Many other sections will be short. 1t
is safe to predict that this will be a
year notable for the shortness of the
apple and peach crop in the United
States. 1t is not easy to say just what
the crop will be in Washington. Some
sections report heavy damage from
frost. Yakima county will have lots
of fruit but not a full crop. On the
lower levels in some parts of the val
ley there is serious damage. 1 have just
come from that county after staying
over there ten days and know that
some sections have suffered seriously
while other sections are unhurt. The
apples on our ranch are not seriously
hurt but our peaches will not produce
over 10 per cent of full crop. Yakima
county will by no means have a failure
nor will it have a full crop The con-
dition can be best described as
"speckled." I am not discouraged in
fruit growing and never have been.
+
The man who has a big crop Of
peaches this year will make big money.
Apples and pears must be high. Every
effort should be made to keep our fruit
clean and have it we'll developed and
highly colored. Men in the east are
inquiring about our high grade fruit
and are trying to contract it at good
prices but are not meeting with sue.
cess. My advice is take good care OF
your fruit and wait. ),
II
1t appears that the supreme court of
the state Of Washington has declared
the law appointing county fruit in
spectors by the county commissioners
to be unconstitutional. They cite arti-
Gle II, section 5, of the State Constitu-
ton as the ground of their decision.
The section reads as follows: 1.-THE
legislature, by general and uniform
laws, shall provide for the election in
the several counties Of boards Of coun-
ty commissioners, sheriffs, county
clerks, treasurers, prosecuting attorneys
and other county, township or precinct
and district officers, as public convent
ence may require, and shall prescribe
their duties and fix their term of Office"
This seems to be very plain and I'M
doubtedly requires all county, town
ship, precinct or district officers to- be
elected and not appointed The wonder
now is that this provision of the con-
stitution should have been so long
overlooked This decision not only af
fects county fruit inspectors but the
game wardens, road supervisors, health
officers and other county officials ap-
pointed by the county commissioners.
1t does no good to say this ought not
to be so, for that cannot affect the
constitutionality Of laws. We must
abide by the constitution or we will
unhinge our whole legal system.
+
One trouble that comes out Of this
decision is, it will leave us practically
two years without fruit inspectors I'M
less the Legislature is called in extra
session Whether county fruit inspect
ors will be any better If elected by
popular vote than when appointed by
the commissioners is point not easily
decided. This much can be said in
favor Of the elective system-all the
county will have a voice in the selection
of fruit inspector. With the aid of the
primary system no one can claim that
he is not consulted in the selection of
this officer. But it is notorious that
WIN the Olu dppolnllVe SySIeLH ILLS
was, in some cases, far from being true.
Sometimes little clique near the coun-
ty seat not amounting to ten per cent
of the voters were the only ones who
had a voice in the matter. I pointed
out this condition three or four years
ago, so this cannot be construed into
fling at any one in the office now.
In fact, I am not claiming that men
who were appointed in this way were
not efficient or are not efficient now.
But the people like to be consulted in
government which is "of the people,
by the people and for the people,"