Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1908-08-14
Let | : .Iud~r hl the Record.

The W..yaa OF Saturday has ;
full co,mn in reply to TIE STAND
ARDS charge that Gov. Mead ! by
no means entitled to credit for I'll,
@ruMdAur. OF the very falaciou>
arguments presented 10y that paper
y showing tie Shallow founda
ton ion the claim that his adminiS-
tration has been noted for thrift on
economy. We noted as u fact that the
State has been months on war
rant intercst-bcarins basis the past
year This fact is denied by the
Ogmpi,0. bat j, nevertheless true.
To say nothing Of the large issue
Of outstanding warrants which the
State Treasurer j. authorized to re-
deem when the condition of the pub
lie finances warrant, this redemp-
ton entirely ceased several months
ago. and the new issues Of warrants
had been endorsed mot paid for
want OF funds. " within the past year
and up to avery short time ago. Be
ing on a cash basis only a portion of
the time, without reduction of past
Indebtedness simply paying inter
est on 4 bonded Indebtedness of many
times the constitutional limit, is no
indication of prosperity, but on the
contrary manifestation OF an I'M
wise, unsafe and profiga:e condi-
ton of the State affairs.
Do not for q moment lay the fiat
tering JUNCTION to your soul that the
opposition fear Mead's candidacy.
He is one-termer, an " in-and-
out" candidate, nominated as a
compromise, who. results have shown,
is like the parrot which " talked too
much" There has not been horse
race or husking bee that he would
not travel hundreds of miles to at
tend upon the mere suggestion of an
invitation. No, he is by no means a
strong candidate, and he has in
vited comment and criticism by pro-
jecting himself into the campaign
long before anybody else had thought
of a call, from the people.
There has never been q public
speaker who has traverSed our State
and talked more and said less, than
this autoperipatetic representative
of the accidental Has-beens" of
any party. His true stature is
shown by q threat to punish our
community for impounding his COW
when the animal was arrested as a
treSpasSer.
The Olympian likewise takes eX-
ceptiOn to our statement that the
last Legislature was "notoriously ex-
travagant," which we had thought
was generally conceded and nobody
had the hardihood to dispute. 1t
will be remembered that the salaries
of Supreme Judges were increased
from 81, 900 to Sc, 900 per annum, and
the Governors pay from $4,000 to
5000; the same legislature increased
the number of Superior Judges, and
that again calls to mind the num-
Der of Supreme Judges had been
advanced from five to seven by the
Legislature Of 1905-also in Mead S
administration. The Law Librar-
ian's salary was increased from ST.
200 to 81. 800, and the Office of Dep
uty Law Librarian was created,
with q salary of $1,000 per annum.
1t will also be borne in mind that
the Legislature of 1908 passed road
appropriation bills to the amount Of
$4,000 that had been vetoed by
Gov. Mcbride, as an economic meas
ure, and Notwithstanding the same
conditions have existed during the
whole Of the Mead ADMINISTRATION
The Railroad Commission appro
priation for 1907 was largely in
creased over that of previous years
but what have the people received
for the expenditure? The Commits
sion's acts have proven a lament
able farce for reducing rates or allie
WAITING the condition of shippers
The same may be said of the Ia,
Commission, whose appropriation
was 81, 900 in 1907, an increase o
$4,000 over its expenditures thu
previous term. And with what re
suits? Where is there any cause fo
Boosting? Where is there any bash
for the plaudits of the Perkins twins