The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-04-21
THINGS THAT THE
COMMITTEE FOUND
It Has Managed to Raise a
Little Excitement and a
Very Snug Salary
CONFESSED CRIMINAL ESCAPE
The Schively Affair Cost The
State $4,000 and He Is
Still Holding Office
What About This


Commenting upon the stipend
Gus results of the work of the Al
len-Fishback probe committee ap-
pointed by Acting Governor Hay,
which made its report during the
absence of Land Commissioner
Ross, throwing a slur at the land
Office, the Spokane Chronicle says:
One of these conclusions is that
either there was very little worth
reporting that the committee inves-
tigated or that the committee spent
good share of its time loafing
while being paid by the day by the
state. The report does not appear
commensurate with the work of
four men busily employed for seven
or eight months. They say in their
report that their work is not yet
commenced and intimate that they
should continue delving into the
ancient history of the state. In
view of the expected compensation
undoubtedly the task would be
very agreeable to them.
The report indicated either one
or two things; that the affairs of
the state have been most excellent.
ly managed in the past twenty
years, or that the investigating
committee has been loafing. In
the Office of the land commissioner
the committee went through the
records for twenty years back, or
since Washington became a state,
and vet less than a score of in
stances are cited in which the state
is reported to have been the loser
through the acts of its own agents,
about one instance a year-which
is pretty good record. 1t is a
better record than probably can be
shown by any corporation doing
the same amount of business for
the same length of time. It is a
record of which those in charge of
the Office of the land commissioner
should be proud.
The charge of graft has for
several years been used as a whip
with which to lash the public into
a frenzy, but even when the graft
ers are made to dance the poor old
long suffering public usually pays
the bill. The Schively case is a
good illustration of that point. It
cost the state $4,000 to see Mr..
Schively dance at a special session.
He danced all right and cut some
pretty fancy steps, but Mr.. Schiv-
ely is still drawing pay from the
state as commissioner of insurance
and running that office.
1t looks like a scheme to give
few partisans chance to splurge
and enrich themselves and at the
same time cast unsupported suspi-
cion upon their political opponents.
The special investigating COM
mittee has been An expense to the
state and its report is not worth
the paper it is written on. 1t is
lacking in both efficiency and puri-
tv of motive. The report of any
committee that can whitewash"
man after that man has freely con-
fessed to having raised his own
vouchers as did the state oil in
spector can be nothing but mislead-
ing and worthless.
The sum and substance of the
whole report is the recommendation
that more men be placed on the
states pay roll as land commits
stones or special investigating COM
mittees. The understanding is
that Senator H. o. Fishback, one
of the committee, would like to be
one of the new commissioners, but
if he does not land that plum he is
very willing to continue investi-
eating" at $40 per day.
1t is we'll for the taxpayers to
look into this cry of graft" and
learn the motive of those who are