The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1912-12-06


moral or political reason why tn
people should not protect themselves
THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING
II Without question the system o
\, logrolling INDUCED at every session o
the Idaho legislature costs the peopl.
more money than all the other acts o.
the legislature combined. 1t has come
to pass that the appropriations are moi
made on their merits and the needs OIL
the state but upon the effect of one
particular appropriation will have in
securing another appropriation. The
first appropriation may be entirely
meritorious but its fate depends upon
the fate of other measures in all cases
foreign to the first; in most cases un-
necessary to the welfare of the state;
and in many instances entirely useless
to anybody. The chief offenders have
been the different state institutions.
Until provision is made for the state
institutions that will make it unneces-
sary for those interested to maintain
Hobbies At Boise during the session
of the legislature logrolling with all
its evils will be one Of the disagreea-
bic features of the Legislature. There
Is nothing intrinsically wrong about a
lobby but most of them develop into
pernicious factors in securing legisla-
ton. For instance the state universe
ty will send to Boise committee to
secure recognition and appropriation
for the institution. In order to Sc
cure the needed appropriation this
committee is often called upon and
often compelled to lend its assistance
toward securing appropriations for
bridges. wagon roads and whatnots.
There are in Idaho seven state institu-
tons that will maintain Hobbies at
Boise this winter. Foremost among
them is the state university. Then
comes, the two normals; the two asy-
lums; the Pocatello academy; the in
dustrial school at ST. Anthony.
In all likelihood the school
for the feeble minded an d
the school for the blind will also be
forced to send delegations to Boise
to influence legislations by trade or
barter.
I, The worst feature about logrolling
is that it is simply . refined form Of
bribery. II is just as corrupt to buy
= legislators vote with support for his
pet measure IS tits with money. How
ever the people have come to look up
on this form of corruption with indif-
ference. They rather admire the en-
terprise of the lobby rather than con-
denim the corruption practiced. We
have had Hobbies so long that our
sensibilities have become deadened..
In addition to the Hobbies employed
by our, public institutions, the rail
roads. telephone and telegraph COM
panies. and we dare say, next winter
the power companies. employ men
and women in their behalf. Added to
all these are the different town and
county Hobbies maintained both to Sc
cure and oppose county divisions and
you have force at work that distracts
the legislature, corrupts the members
and squanders the money Of the tax
payers. The first thing that a lobbyist
does is to ascertain what each men,
Der Of the legislature wants for his
home county. He uhen proceeds to-
line up the members giving each one
the appropriation he most desires.
Martin Jensen Of Onieda county don't
give whoop about the Orofino in
sane asylum but 10 greatly interested
in fish hatchery on Mink Creek. He
agrees to vote for an appropriation Of
$4,000 for the asylum provided that
the lobbist will deliver him vote
for few thousand for the fish. So it
goes. The result is that all kinds of
appropriations are made. The legis-
lator has to secure the appropriation
his home county wants or he is dead
duck politically. He knows that his
particular institution is badly in need
of an appropriation and in order tol
secure that he agrees to support dog
ems of other appropriations. The cost
of logrolling amounts to thousands
and thousands of dollars annually.
We confess that we can see no way
of getting rid of logrolling entirely.
If the state institutions were put on
some basis that would work automat-
ically so far As appropriations are
concerned it would help materially. If,
for instance, the state university re-
ceived so much without action on the
part of the legislature-this amount
-