The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1912-10-31
THERE'S A REASON.
One Bit OF Progressive Legislation
Which Governor Hay Strenu-
ously Opposed.

ousIy Opposed.
M. E. Hay has been strutting up
and down the state. telling the peo.
pie how progressive he has been How
I' did this, and ~ did that. and that
and that taking upon himself the
glory for what progressive legislation
there was passed during his term of
office; when, in fact, up to few
months ago, and not until he began
| to see the handwriting on the wall,
he was about the biggest reactionary
in the state.
II ever there was a weakling, a
man controlled body and breeches by
the predatory interests, occupying the
governors chair, either in territorial
days or since statehood has been at
tanned, that man is Hay.
There exists at Olympia a graft
known as the state printers graft
That graft is managed by one Board
man, whom rumor on the streets Of
Seattle and Tacoma has as dividing
up the profits with Sam Perkins prin
cipal owner of daily papers published
at Tacoma, Olympia and Everett
Sam Perkins, present national conf
mitteeman of the republican party for
Washington, and former secretary of
Boss Mark Hanna.
B. M. Price, an honored citizen of
the state residing at Olympia, in let
ter to the Tacoma Tribune. has the
following to say on this state printers
graft. Read it. Ano then decide
whom you will vote for for governor
Hay, the weak; or Bob Hodge, the
strong. manly MAN. who if elected
will be the governor Of this state i'll
the interests of ALL of the people of
the state.
To the Tacoma Tribune: 1t is quite
amusing to read the claims of the
Perkins press in attempting to give
Governor Hay credit for all the pro-
gressive legislation enacted by the
last legislature, while the facts are
known to everyone familiar with the
enacting of this legislation that the
leaders of the grange, and labor uni
ons, ably assisted by the progressive
members of both houses of the legis
lature, are the ones who made it pos
sible for those laws to now be upon
our statutes.
My personal experience with the
governor at that session of the legis-
lature. as a progressive was rather
disappointing. While the last legisla
ture was in session | took to the gov
ernor bill that was a copy of late
law enacted in Oregon. making the
state printing office one owned and
tho 20 which UnIl In
save to the taxpayers of the state from
$751; to $4,000 a year on the print.
ing now done under the present sys
tenn, and asked the governor to cham
pion this needed reform, willing that
he should have al the praise as the
father of the measure, but with all his
so-called and far-famed business abil-
ity he did not seem disposed to bring
this business ability into use for the
benefit Of the taxpayers, and tried to
argue against this proposed law. ]
concluded that the governor did not
want to oppose the man who was die
tating about IS per cent of his ap-
pointments and who had been public
ly accused of being the chief benefi-
ciary under the present printing law.
that carries about 30 per cent graft.
We called the governors attention to
this charge against the political boss,
but the governor protested and de
Tended the boss vigorously.
My experience in trying to cut out
graft was quite different from what
had taken place in Oregon and Kansas
when those states had repealed law
similar to ours ard gave to their
states state printing office in fact.
In Oregon, Governor West, who had
pledged to the people of his state to
use all his influence to cut out the
state printing graft there, when he
found some of the machine politicians
in the legislature bent on defeating
the bill, sent word to them to let the
bill go through or he would use his
big stick, and it became a law. In
Kansas, under the influence of Gov
ernOr Stubbs, Ex-Governor Hoch sew
eral years ago made a campaign for
election against a state printing law
from which ours was copied and today
Kansas not only owns and operates
the state printing office, but is print
ing many of the public school books,
thus loOsening the grip of the school
| book trust on the public schools, as
well as making a saving to the tax
payers.
However, ! did not succeed in get
ting this needed reform before the leg
islature. as / found the chairmen of
the printing committees of both hous-
es so much under the influence of the
political machine that they refused
to introduce the bill.
1t may be asked what interest l had
/, in this matter, as many persons are
looking for personal benefits to be