The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1908-11-28

been declared unconstitutional. Among these
latter An act entitled an act for the protection
OF builders, which was designed to protect build
ers from fraud on the part of contractors in fail
ing to pay bills for material and labor also an act
Tor the protection of stockholders, :" designed to
safeguard the public against the exploitation and
promotion of fake schemes by fraudulent prospect
uses; also recent act regulating brokers doing
commission business in dairy and farm produce,
and prohibiting conspiracies between them in re-
strant of trade; also an act defining larceny by
copartner of partnership property; also one Sec
tlon OF the habitua criminal act; also an act COM
pelng fathers to provide for the support of illegt
innate children, and numerous other acts which
have from time to time been held unconstitutional
because of some defect in drafting.
The commission also will suggest new legislation
upon a large number of Subjects the necessity of
which is felt every day in the Office of every pros
ecuting attorney. It is probable that the commits
sion will convene at an early date, and will per-
form most of it's labors during the month of
December.
The democratic party asked that the tariff on
necessities be reduced in order that the wage
worker in this country might not have to pay
more than the same article is sold for when ship
ped to foreign countries.
The republican party claimed that the tariff
should be revised by it's friends, the trusts.
This question of keeping up or letting down the
bars of the immense tariff fence reminds one of
the old man who owned herd of cattle, which
were lean even to starvation, and their bones
stuck out of their skins. He owned also luxu-
RANT pasture, from which the cattle were ex-
cluded by strong high fence But this owner,
x1zAz. I
hearted fellow, who occupied himself daily in pull
ing handfuls of grass from the pasture and shov-
ing them through the fence to the hungry animals
outside. Nevertheless, the weaker cattle starved
and died. One day passer-by said to him:
Friend, do you own these cattle?'
lido"
And do you own the pasture?'
"Yes."
Then why don't you let down the bars, so that
the cattle can feed themselves?'
Said the owner: 81 have as yet failed to see
that letting down the bars would be panacea for
all the leanness these cattle are heir to- Instead
of broaching far-away theories, do something
practical; Jump over the fence and help me to pull
some grass and feed it to the calves"
Last week the county commissioners had another
opportunity of seeing how the Statesman-Index
and it's stockholders have been reaping big mon
etary profits at the expense of the county and the
taxpayers. Last summer the commissioners re-
moved Auditor F. A. Savage from the position of
purchasing agent on account of his proclivity to
give all the county printing to the Index without
allowing any other paper to bid on the work. But
it seems that before his removal, County Superin-
tendent Daisy Hard had some printing which she
wanted done and asked that the Examiner be
given chance at it. This Mr.. Savage refused,
and gave the work directly to the Index One of
the jobs was an order for several thousand excuse
blanks. The Index charged So. so thousand, and
the commissioners had to pay it. Last week Miss
Hard had to have some more of them and the Ex-
aminer was given a chance to bid. The offer of
the Examiner was $1.5O thousand for all she
might want of them, and this without any knowl-
edge of how much had been charged for the pre-
vious blanks.
This difference of 81 thousand on simply one
kind of job went into some ones pockets at the
expense of the taxpayers. Whether some of it
stuck to Mr.. Savage's pockets is merely guess
work, although it is reasonable to suppose that
man in public office will not act in such peculiar
manner without some strong incentive.
There may be some scheme whereby exhorbitant
profits are divided among several yawning pockets.
But since the bill of the Index charging the county
$63 for job which it had contracted to print at
80 cents it is probable that this is the method by
which the stockholders are able to boast of their
big dividends
This article is not kick, but an item of news,
which may be found on the county records The
Examiner has seen so many of these cases in the
last year that it has to appreciate the poiti