The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1909-02-19
DOINGS IN THE LEGISLATURE
Legislative Nero's FiddIing the Time Ava,
at Olympia
Letter From our Olympia Correspondent

Snow again.
1t is safe to bet that east siders VIII
are here for the first time think tha
Puget Saunders have achieved a tire
mendous reputation for a mild climat,
on mighty small capital. For the sec
ond time since the session snow ha
fallen heavily, though it is not so colC
this time, it is far from being tht
banana belt weather we clam digger'
boast about.
However the weather is not polite.
not even editorially and probably
barred from legislative correspondence
but what is poor-well poor fellow
to do, since just between US girls, the
Legislature persists in doing mighty
little we can write about.
True the lower house has passed
the McMaster anti-saloon local option
bill, the dry section remaining intact
against the assaults of oratory and sharp
parliamentary practice of the more
liberal; but passing the house does not
constitute a law, and the senate is
waiting eagerly for the appearance oi
the bill in that body next Wednesday,
when along with several other local
option bills it will be reported for spec
ial action. The supporters OF the
league bill claim that they lack but
two votes to pass the same in the senate,
but two votes, l come over to say, are
a whole lot in the senate of the eleventh
session of the Washington Legislature.
But enough said OF the local option
law. I have even been accused already
of giving it undue prominence, more,
it has even been insinuated that l, my
self am favorable to the league bill.
AS to the prominence, if you were
here in Olympia where the entire
atmosphere is over charged with local
option electricity pro and con, you
would know that was impossible. As to
my personal preferences, well Artemus
Ward was in the show business, mine
is the correspondence line.
Besides side tracking the anti-Jap-
anese Legislation in California, President
Roosevelt may have to turn his atten-
ton to our own state. If the Edge
bill becomes law, no one but citizens
and those who have signifed their in
tentions to become such will be allowed
on public works in this state. 1t is
easy to see where the Japanese would
get of under this bill.
That a move for unpledged legis-
lation should come out of King county
considering the record of senators and
representatives from that county in the
matter of keeping pledges, is some
thing of joke, but such is the gist oi
the Booth bill, which includes not
only Legislators but school directors,
supervisors and councilmen. Besides
what appears on the face of the bill
there seems to be a colored gentleman
in the wood pile, since it is observed,
that such a law would cut out the
pledge for United States senator undel
the direct primary law. But that thi:
Legislature sorely misses the senatoria
contest, goes without saying.
Any one who thought that Ole Han
sons work would be done with settle,
ment of the race track law has anothe,
guess coming. He is now working OF
bill providing pay for prisoners in tht
penitentiary, under the conditions o
which a discharged prisoner might bt
something OF a capitalist. The rift il
the loop is that if the crime is sucl
that any one is injured by it in
pecuniary way the saving goes to then
or their heirs.
The girls band from the Training
School at Chehalis discoursed swee
music in the Legislative halls, also a
the Women's Club reception in thei
honor during the week.
The bill for an increase in the nun
Der of Supreme Court Judges ha
passed the senate, not without siren
uous opposition on the part Of Pau
hamus and the other watchdogs OF tn
treasury. Rather than take chances o
any antagonism, the house concune
in the elimination Of the emergenc
clause OF the Hanson race track bill b
the senate and Gov. Hay has signe