The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-01-23


penalties sufficiently severe to insure
their permanent suppression.
Better Mining Laws.
Legitimate mining in this state has
often suffered because of the failure
to protect with wholesome laws that
industry from the operations of I'M
scrupulous promoters The unrestrict-
ed freedom with which wildcat COM
pan1es can be and have been manipu-
lated in the mining districts of this
state has cast an odium upon the in
'ustry In Washington which can be
removed only through the enactment
OF laws that will effectually rid the
state of this most undesirable class of
fraudulent operators. Legislation
should be enacted designed to protect
the innocent purchaser of stock as we'll
as the legitimate promoter from the
irresponsible manipulation
Women to Hold Office.
Under the present method of man.
agement of the normal schools, where
seventy-five percentum of the students
are girls, one member at least of the
board of trustees should be woman.
They should also be qualified by law
to serve as members of the boards of
regents of the state college and the
University of Washington.
Amendments to Primary Law.
The total cost to the state and the
several counties of the recent primary
election was $81, 499.76, and the total
receipts from filing fees on candidates
8CQ 0O1 en- Tho Of
penditure over receipts was thus $751;
478.16, which represents the amount
paid from the several county treas
uries.
For such sum it would seem that
a proper regulation of election boards
could insure a more expeditions sys-
tenn of canvassing returns and the ag-
gravating delay in announcing the re-
suits OF the recent election avoided.
: Abuse of Law.
Efforts were made by some of the
candidates in the late primary election
to defeat the purpose of the law and
violate it's spirit by filing declarations
of candidacy solely for the purpose of
aiding or defeating other candidates
for the same office. Such an abuse of
the law should not be tolerated, but
should be made illegal and penalties
should be provided for those who do
not file their declarations in good
faith.
Political parties have been in exist.
ence since the founding of the nation,
and party primary election laws
should not be continued which tend to
bring about the severance of party
ties.
A party responsible for the charac-
ter and efficiency of it's candidates
and standing for a concrete principle
of policy is able to contribute to the
welfare of the state or nation in
greater degree than a disorganized
mass having no recognized political
affiliation or no harmonious political
relationship. The existing primary
election law should, therefore, be
amended in accordance with this pol
icy.
Tariff on Lumber.
The lumber and single industry
outranks all others in providing en-
ployment for the citizens of our state
Many of the most active and promis-
ing communities are supported by one
or more shingle or lumber mills. The
country west of the Cascades is pre-
eminently the lumber region of the
United States. 1t must have the ben
eft of reduced transportation rates
and the continuance of a protective
tariff to be remunerative to the cap
ital and labor involved. If lumber and
shingles are placed upon the free list,
or if the present tariff is reduced, the
prosperity which our state has enjoyed
for decade will be threatened. Pro-
tests in the form of memorials should
be presented by this legislative body
to the president and congress of the
United States against the reduction or
removal of the tariff on forest prod
ucts. You should not rest with the
adoption of memorials, but should
make provision to further the efforts
of associations of lumber and single
manufacturers and labor organizations
in resisting this attack upon our pros
perity A committee of this legisla-
ture or other state officials should be
appointed to collect statistical informa-
ton and other data showing that the
lowering of the tariff or the placing of
lumber and shingles upon the free list
means the denial of employment to an
army of Washington laborers or their
reduction to the standard of living Of
the Asiatic laborers employed in lum-
Der and single mills OF British Column
bia.