The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-01-16
GOVERNOR MEAD'S MESSAGE.

There are many good points and
| many good recommendations in the
message of Governor Mead to the leg
| islature. While not overlooking with
brilliancy at which no attempt is
made. the message is, in some instanc-
es. businesslike document, free from
the cant of the demagogue and es-
chewing politics to a large extent.
There are some impractical and vision
airy suggestions made, but no more
! than is usual where efforts are made
| to straddIe all questions and please
all factions.
OF chief Importance at this time is
| that portion of the message bearing
on the car shortage and recommend
| ing a reciprocal demurrage bill. While
such may not be the proper solution
of the great difficulty, there is no doubt
that the governor has put the matter
up to the legislature in a form which
will demand immediate attention. The
Is iloI llS VI tIiS Will
out proper substitution, would result
| in a storm of denunciation for the
lawmakers.
There is grave doubt of the practi-
cability of the governors idea as to
| the handling of habitual criminals. AS
proposed by him, without proper safe
guards to the liberty of man, it would
give the police, of the larger cities
especially, an opportunity for an abuse
of power which would rival Russian
nor says:
when it is disclosed by competent
tribunal in the investigation of crime
that a person has a criminal record,
is not regularly employed and has no
fixed place of abode, the security of
life and property should not be jeopar-
died by permitting him to remain at
large until he has committed some
criminal act. A chronic criminal of
this character should not be moved
on" by local authorities to become
a charge on neighboring munich
pality. but should be held in custody,
employed on the public highways or
given other occupation, and restrained
tOdy of some reputable person who will
assume responsibility for his good con-
duct, or until it has been effectually
demonstrated that he no longer is a
menace to society,"
This may be one solution of the
tramp problem and the sane method
ofs disposing of the murderOus yegg-
men, but it requires no acute knOwl
edge of police conditions to forecast
the results of so arbitrary a law
| The injustice possible under such law
when is recollected the reckless
ness with which some police author
! tiles swear on the witness stand in or
| der to make a case, is such that no
! lover of the right could conscientiously
sanction such enactment.
AS regards the plan to establish a
| separate refOrmatory for the lesser
and more youthful criminals, the gov
ernor is partly wrong and partly right
He is right in advocating the move
ment for separation of the different
classes of convicts. But he is wrong
, in his extravagant plans to please the
people of the west side of the state
| by giving them another state institu-
| ton.
The separation of the convicts may
| be brought about in the Walla Walla
penitentiary just as successfully as In
putting up a new prison on the coast
side. 1t is realized by all that new
additions and increased quarters must
be had at the penitentiary. These new
buildings and changes must be made
| regardless of the separation of the
| prisoners, or the establishment Of a
| separate refOrmatory
Economy would suggest that the new
| reformatory building be erected on the
prison grounds here, which would save
| to the state the extra expense of a
| separate administration. This plan is
| the correct one. The establishment of
| another state institution with its at
tendant expenses of administration and
maintenance is wholly a piece of ex-
travagance, designed to please a GER
I! tain constituency.
| The state does not need another in
stitution to support when the addi-
ton of one building at the present
prison will accomplish the same, if not
better, results.