Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-02-14
A FAMILY AFFAIR.

THAT the present legislature Is
composed Of bright, brainy men
is admitted by all who come in
contact with Its members, but 1t must
not be overlooked that there are poll
ticians among them, and wherever
politicians gather, ways that are dark
prevail and sometimes ways and
means" both. Men will do things, de-
scend to thing for political purposes,
or for some movement pertaining to
state affairs, that they would scorn to
do individually as business men, even
in their own interests. It is so in this
legislature, as 1t has been in all past
ones and probably will be in all yet
to come. Speaker Macarthur saw fit,
while mildly critlclsing The Capital
journal Wednesday, to also commend
It. Now The Journal feels the same
way towards Speaker Macarthur. He
is conscientiously trying to rush the
work Of the house, but he is handi-
capped in his efforts, and by the ways
and means committee, which is hold
ing back its report, and 1t is fair to
presume, for some especial purpose,
That purpose can be inferred from
story elsewhere in this issue. The
trouble has been caused primarily by
the very clever work done at the be-
ginning of the session that made the
ways and means committees Of the two
houses q family affair. This was done,
not with the connivance Of Speaker
Macarthur, but was probably accom-
plshed without his suspecting any
thing. Pat Is just simply old-fash-
ionedly honest and straight forward,
and hence does not suspect guile and
trickery in others. The same remark
might apply TO President Malarkey,
and this is what made the combination
have an easy Job Of getting the whip
hand Of the legislature. Now the Cap
ital journal does not pretend to know
the actual facts, the inside workings
of the legislature, or what It's members
are thinking about. 1t cannot look
under another mans hat and tell what
that man Is thinking about, but II can
see through between the rounds Of a
ladder and feels II has right TO draw
reasonable conclusions from what can
be thus seen,
Now the examination Of the forma-
tion of the ways and means commit
tees of both the house and senate dis
closes this state Of facts. Abbott, chair.
man Of the ways and means committee
in the house, is the brother-in-law Of
DunIway, who is u brother-in-law of
Pllmpton, who Is a brother-in-law of
Perkins, chairman Of the ways and
means committee in the senate. Dc
YOU think that these selections for
these most important committee chair
manship was Just an accident? II you
do, you have some more thinks com
ing. Mr. Abbot, was at one time the
business partner Of State Printer Duni.
way, aud some people think he is still
Interested with him In the state print
ing business, though this ia merely O
rumor, with nothing in sight to justify
asserting that It IL true,
This being true, would not the nat
ural inference be that the ways anC
means committee Of both houses are
holding back their reports in order {,
defeat the lat salary bill for the stat,
printer and to maintain the state print
ing business in It's present form? o
course, II Is not absolutely known thO
this Is the case, but We suggest tha
in view Of the premises the conclusion
is almost irresistible. Again Mr. Ab
bott evidently feels the dominance o
his position and his head Is badly swol
len. Yesterday the Portland papers
quote him as saying
81 know the governor Is hitting n