The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1913-04-25
in fact in full harmony with him anu

TO the office and in carrying through
his economy program.
AS before stated, Lister was DOUBT
less honest and sincere in his charges
of extravaganza and promises OF econ
omy made before election; as honest
and sincere as a democratic politician
seeking office by every known means
could be. But, if he were honest lie
didn't know what he was talking
about, and. if he did know about What
he was talking, then it were harsh 10
name the alternative conclusion. mat
would betray the Gazette into a rude
| and unbecoming Teddyism.
AS soon as the legislature was Or
ganized on friendly footing ap-
| preaching an alliance. and Lister
knew that he was safe from any POSI-
BILE attack in that body upon his title
| TO Office which-by-thewa was a ng-
| ment of a troubled conscience and
never contemplated by Governor Hay
he realized that he had gotten him.
| self in an embarrassing position,
| where he could not possibly escape
| iull share of responsibility for all ap-
| preparations to be made, and by that
| time he also doubtless knew that the
| appropriations must be more than
| hose of the previous sessions, because
| of increased necessary demands. 1t
| was, therefore, up to him to either
| acknowledge that he had overstated
| the extravaganza of his predecessor
| and overestimated his own ability to
| save glib millions, or else devise way
10 Shift the blame and make bluff of
really trying to make good.
From that time forth he became a
| sphinx so far as the members of the
Legislature were concerned. Neither
friend nor foe in either body could
learn from him his wishes or find
| what, if any, was his program regard
| ing state expenditures. He main
tanned this clam-like aloofness until
he was given an opportunity to WELD
| a spectacular veto on the appropria-
tons for the temple of justice and the
Cheney normal. He thus cleverly
| made it appear that he was standing
between a defenseless people and a
debauched and spendthrift legislature.
He knew that the capitol buildings
were necessary and had to be provid-
ed for, so after making the bluff at
economy with his temple of justice
veto. he departed from his attitude of
aloofness long enough to let the legis-
lature know that he favored a bond
issue of $4,O00D00 for capitol build
ings, with interest guaranteed from
the general fund. Figure the inter-
est for two or three years yourself and
see where the veto of the half million
appropriation that the bond issue was
substituted for effects economy.
But that veto and the other vetoes
and the stormful address delivered in
person to the senate were not meant
for economy. They were meant to
create the impression and belief in the
public mind that Lister would have
economy If he could get it, that he was
actually saving millions, and above all
that the executive no longer is re-
sponsible for appropriations or extrav-
agance, but that all responsibility
rests upon the legislature.
And the reason is that the actual re-
quirements of state government, in
Guiding institutions of higher learning
are some $2,5O0,OOO greater in 1918
than in 1911. Instead of being able to
show saving of $4,000, 1000 for the BIZ
ennium If 1914 as he promised in
the campaign, Lister found himself I'm
against the necessity of approving
necessary appropriations from the
general fund and for the educational
institutions $2,556,393.33 greater than
the general fund appropriations of
1911. That was some embarrassing
and necessitated heroic and spectacu-
lar measures to dodge, or side-step
But that was not all. The total an.
preparations, all but $35O,OOO of which
became law with his approval or con.
sent, were over twice as great as tho
appropriations made in 1911, that be
mad so severely criticised-or to no
exact, just $12,S37,51 greater In
TACT the total appropriated for tho
present biennium and approved or
consented to by Lister was s24 oss.
1892, or $S,SO1, 1897 more than tho
combined appropriations of 1909 and
1911.
VI course it was awkward, or at
least it would be to one less adent a.
the great American game of nolitio.
to explain this discrepancy. Particu-
larly II, only so short a time ago az
last October, you had insisted tbot
the appropriation in 1911 of s11 900
zoz's9 was inexcusable and unheard-of
all due to the governor
ana then in the following March Won
were compelled to explain that tho
Sz4'o66,7S2.32 appropriated and an
proved or consented to, by you, should
'e blamed entirely upon the leeis,.-
'ure' 1t would be more awkward for
candid and straightforward man
" men confronted with the fact that a
warm personal friend and ardor+
'orter headed the appropriations COM
nittee in the senate and one eouallv
'eSirous at the outset to work in har.
nohy with him held the like most IN
he house. p''' III
Ferhaps this is why Lister ;s trr,