The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1912-05-03
GOVERNOR HAY
OFF HIS BASE
ASSERTS G. r. CASE, WHEN
HE ATTEMPTS TO TAKE
CREDIT FOR LABOR LEGIS-
LATION THAT HE NEVER
HELPED TO GET-GOVER-
NOR'S SPEECH ON DIRECT
LEGISLATION COMES HOME
TO ROOST.
Seattle. Wash. April %. l9l2

Seattle, Wash, April %, 1912.
To the Press:
Space in your valuable paper is re-
quested in order that Governor HAYS
widely published announcement of his
candidacy to succeed himself as governor
and his statements relative to his atti-
tude on LEGISLATION IN BEHALF OF
THE PEOPLE may be truthfuly pre-
sented instead of distorted in support of
his candidacy.
Workingmen and women and their
friends who have followed NJ. E. Hays
record as governor read with astonish-
ment his brazen efforts to distort the
truth relative to his attitude on pro
gressive legislation in his recent an
nouncement of his candidacy for re-
election.
His claim of support of the miners
eight hour and full-traincrew laws re
calls to them the fact that after the
legislature had passed these measures by
a practically unanimous vote. it was
necessary for labor to take large dele
cations to Olympia and make long and
exhaustive arguments in favor of these
bills to prevent threatened veto by
Governor Hay.
On the women's eight hour law Gov
ernor Hay, frequently during the 1909
session of the Legislature, expressed his
| DISAPPROVAL and limited at a VETO
of same if passed. After EQUAL SUF-
FRAGE was adopted in November. 1910,
he favored the law. WHY? Because
he knew that to oppose it further was
political suicide
Of his claimed support of the INITT-
ATIVE AND REFERENDUM there is
but one known record of his public ut
terances and that is against them. On
July l3, 1910, at a pioneers picnic near
Tacoma in commenting on the initiative
and referendum he said "There are
those now who advocate a return to a
system that a race outgrew as it emerged
from barbarism They would
| have us who are in the midst of a high
ly organized civilization, full of distrac-
tions and requiring the closest applica-
tion of time and talent to a wide va
riety of interests, attempt to govern
ourselves with system that met the
needs of a simple pastoral and barbaric
age"
On February II, 1911, when House
Bill No GO, granting the peoulc the
right to amend their constitution by the
INITIATIVE was pending in the SEN
ate, Governor Hay, in an interview with
Charles f. Cline of the joint legislative
committee of farmers, trades unions and
direct legislation league said that he had
held conference with several senators
and the agreement they reached was
that they would support the bill if
amended as follows, the governor him
self proposing the amendment: THAT
the bill provide that at least 90 per cent
of ALL THE VOTES CAST AT ANY
ELECTION when the people had pro-
posed an amendment to the constitution
should be necessary to adopt the same"
A majority of the votes cast for or
against any constitutional amendment
has always been sufficient to adopt or
reject same. Why should every ignorant
or uninterested person who neglected to
vote ON constitutional amendments be
recorded as voting against same? Still
worse, why should 60 per cent affirm
ative vote be required as a further re-
striction? To make impossible the sue
cessful use of the amendment if adopted.
| The governor further said: "That he
would VETO the bill if it came to him
in its present FORM" CA majority of
the votes east for or against eonstitu-
tional amendment being sufficient to
adopt or reject same.)
We realize that this threat of VETO
but showed the ignorance of the exeeu-
| tive, as constitutional amendments must
necessarily pass the legislature by two
thirds vote and do not require the gov
erhof 5 approval
OF the compensation act, which all
agree is most beneficial, the greatest
argument against its passage was the
vast political patronage it would place
in the hands of Governor Hay. That
the real interests and purposes of the
act have been sacrificed in many in
stances in order to promote Governor
Hays candidacy for reelection is but
one of many like deplorable instances in
the present state administration.
OF all the labor laws and the eonstitu-
tional amendments providing for the
iniative and referendum of laws and
, equal suffrage that have been passed by
the last two legislatures, / DEFY GOV
ERN0R HAY TO SHOW A SINGLE
INSTANCE aside from the compensa-
E tion actl WHERE HE MADE ANY
FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATIONS To
THE LEGISLATURE RELATIVE TO
n THESE MEASURES.
Instead he has recommended increased
/, militia, adjustment of the office oi
labor commissioner and constitutions