The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1911-03-11

stooS ldSC OdCuTudy. Inc IOllOWlng record OF Cne
failures of the republican congress is fitting
memorial of it's death:
Failure of bill fixing canal tolls and settling
form of government for Panama canal zone
Failure of congressional reapportionment bill
based on the new census.
Failure Of the Canadian reciprocity agreement
and consequent call of an extra session.
Failure of the permanent tariff board bill which
passed the senate but was killed by fbuster in
the house.
Failure of the resolution to admit to statehood
Arizona and New Mexico by filibuster in the
senate.
Failure of the resolution providing for the direct
election of United States senators.
Failure to act on the Ballinger-Pinchot investi-
cation reports.
Failure of the effort to unseat William Lorimer
as senator from Illinois on the ground of bribery
in his election.
President Taft has called special session of
congress to convene April a. The house will be
overwhelmingly democratic, and the senate barely
republican.
The republican national platform of 1896 said,
protection and reciprocity are twin measures of
republican policy, and go hand in hand" Theo-
dore Roosevelt in one of his presidential messages,
declared that reciprocity was the "handmaiden'
of protection. But when the vote on Canadian
reciprocity was taken in the house of representa-
tives the ''handmaiden'' was compelled to depend
upon democrats for her defense.
Republican platforms - like the platforms on
railroad cars-are made to get in on and not to
stand on. For instance the republican platform
of 1908 promised tariff revision.
The new highway law passed by the legislature
is being Investigated carefully by the good roads
men of the state The strongest features may
be classed as follows:
First-The elimination of the unfair provision of
the old law, which required the counties to allow
the moneys accredited to them under the pro-
visions of the act to lapse to the state highway
fund at the termination of each biennum.
Second-That it returns to the credit of the
counties for road purposes the amount of all
amounts paid in by them to the state aid fund,
less any amount expended under the old law.
Third-It requires that each county provide each
year for certain amount of permanent highway,
to be built within such county either that year or
in the near future.
Fourth-No stretch of permanent road built un-
der the act can be less than mile in length and
the road must start at a trade center or from the
end of highway which does start at trade
center.
Provision is made for the completion of construc-
ton work started under the old law. County COM
missoners are given more authority in that they
can have their engineer do the engineering work
in connection with the improvements, if he is COM
petent to do 80, provide engineer satisfactory
to themselves.
The state highway commissioner acts in the
capacity of consulting engineer in connection with
all improvements under the law and passes upon
the plans and specifications and has the final ac-
ceptance of the work. The act carries levy of
one mill on all taxable property in the state,
which creates a fund from which the counties pay
for the road improvements, excepting 1870 or
more which must be borne by the abutting prop
erty. petition from two-thirds of the abutting
property owners on the road, which is under con-
sideration for improvement, must be recognized
by the county commissioners unless they believe
another road, when improved will be of greater
value to the residents within the county.
According to Vice President Sherman, the only
results of Roosevet's seven years administration
were the starting of the Panama canal and the
division of the republican party into insurgents
and stand-patters.
Even at that Roosevelt's seven years were not
in vain for the division of the republican party
has practically placed congress in the hands of the
democrats.
At Tuesdays election for city commissioners in
Spokane the following were elected: Robert Fair
ley, Jimmie Durkin's favorite; Rev. W. J. Hindley,
one of the best known men in the Inland Empire;
C. NJ Fassett, D. C. Doates, T. E. Hayden.
This was the first Spokane election in which