The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1909-01-15
MEAD'S FINAL WORD


lengthy paper covering numerous
subjects and taking up some of the
exhaustively. 1t urges upon the
legislature a close adherence to the
project promised in the Republican
platform adopted last May at Spo-
kane. He makes recommendations
favoring a new railroad law, control
Of immigration, examination OF
|oculists, provision for game wardens
and fruit inspectors, points out the
work of the criminal code commits
ion, urges reading rooms for the
laboring people in centers of pop
ulation, and improvement of con-
ditions of labor, urging legislation
with regard to state fisheries, i'm
provement of rivers and the en-
cOuragement of the reclaiming of
logged off lands. He praises the
primary law in removing the L. s.
senatorship from the scramble of
Legislative politics and wants board
of agriculture appointed. He re-
peatidly urges his pet idea Of hav-
ing one man at the head of the
various departments and state in
stitutsons instead of board or COM
mission.
Concerning local option the Gov
ernor says:
The result of the recent election
fully demonstrates that the platform
utterance of the republican party
in Spokane last May concerning the
regulation of the liquor traffic met
with the enthusiastic approval of
a great majority of our citizens.
This principle of local option was
given exceptional prominence in
the primary and general election.
1t has received consideration in
three legislative sessions. The
promise to enact a reasonable local
option law should receive you earli-
est and earnest attention. The
people have registered in no un-
certain terms their desire to secure
the adoption Of such a law. For
this Legislature to prove recreant to
the trust imposed upon it wonld be
to commit a political crime. 1t is
the question of paramount import
ance before you. This and other
pledges should be sacredly kept
and the covenant solemnly entered
into between party and people
should be righteously executed.
Concerning the race track gamb-
ling question, Governor Mead says:
The State now has upon its
statutes law that makes it felony
to conduct a game of chance. That
law was enacted for the purpose of
suppressing one of the most insidi-
Gus and dangerous evils that preys
upon the weakness of man. Its
provisions, however, are not COM
prehensive enough to include a form
of gambling that has flourished and
grown to grave proportions in this
State. | refer to race track gamb-
ling, book-making and pool-selling.
Aside from the weighty considera-
tions of public morality, there is a
strong unsentimental business argu
ment against the continuance of this
vicious traffic. There is no more
fruitful source of such crimes as
forgery and embezzlemcnt than race
track gambling, those crimes which
lead to disgrace, ruin, despair and
suicide. The State of Washington
can no longer afford to sanction Il
practice so debasing, which each
year draws into the vortex Of. crime
and ruin So many young men who
are lured by the opportunity to
make large gains on the hazard of
small sums. The violated conf
dence of employers, the wrecked
happiness of homes and the ruin of
once promising young men ought
to lead you to give heed to the state
wide demand that you put an end
to that vicious and sordid evil
which is responsible for so much
suffering, anguish and crime in
those communities. | urge that you