Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-03-18


a little more backbone, little more
stamina, than they had counted Or
They had figured he would not dare
to veto some pet bridge or road o.
other appropriation for one section or
another, but he did. He took the po-
sition that he was governor of the
whole state. the watchdog of the
treasury for the whole state, well
knowing that all each legislator cared
was that he got his proportionate
share of the pork barrel. So he threw
CONSERVATION in the machine ranks
by vetoing this pet appropriation and
that, doubtless incurring not a little
affected but at the same time winning
much more favor at the hands of the
greater number of other taxpayers OF
the state, who rightly felt he was
subordinating sectional interests to
the best interest of the whole state.
You have read the papers, so it is
needless for me to say he won his
fight in very large measure. Every
possible item he could veto and there.
by force the machine to reduce-as
he did in every instance save that OF
the Cheney normal school-he vetoed
i'urther than that he could not dc.
For instance, there were numerous
items in the omnibus budget for the
maintenance of the state government
he felt should have been reduced. He
could not veto them for that would
have imperiled the state government:
he could not reduce them for the Law
did not give him that authority. He
had to leave them as the machine.
fixed them.
And he fought them at every point
and to the shame of the Democratic
legislators in the house 'be it frankly
said he had to fight them almost a.
hard as he did the Republicans. His
greatest triumph was in the defeat Of
the extravagant road program. Fight
ing alone and practically unaided, he
faced the machine leaders and will
an argument they could not answer,
force they could not repel, compel
ed them to agree to his compromise
He saved the taxpayers s2,5O0,000 in
that one instance alone He saves
them another 100000 when his veto
of the Vancouver bridge bill was SUE
tanned; 100000 more when he sue
ceeded in preventing the appropria-
ton of more than 100000 for the
Panama-Pacific and San Diego expo
sitions; $4,000 when his veto of tne
PendOreille bridge was sustained:
100000 when his veto of the state
land Office investigation was sustain
ed; $551 $50 when his plan of bond
issue against the capitol land grant
for the construction of capitol build
ings was adopted, and so on through
the other items he vetoed.
Further than being victorious in a
very large measure in his program o.
economy, Governor Lister succeeded
in obtaining the enactment of the fol
lowing recommendations in his in
augural message: Logged-off Land
legislation; appointment of special
committee to draft new laws; pay.
ment of interest on Wenatchee bridge
drai in 1a
of department or agriculture and con
solidation of several former commis-
sions; caution in dealing with indus
trial insurance commission payment
to state of excess earnings of seven
state boards; provisions for carrying
into effect initiative, referendum and
recall amendments.
He failed in his efforts to consoli.
date other state commissions by which
he proposed to reduce the runnins
expenses Of the state government,
solely and simply because of the ma
chimes program of extravaganza and
embarrassment. Other recommends,-
tions in his inaugural message which
were blocked by the Republican ma
chine were: presidential primary; d.
rect election Of senator's; non-par.
in city and county elections:
abolition of straight ticket circh
shorter ballot; public use of school
buildings; abolition of Cheney nor-
NAL school; employment of reforma-
tory prisoners on state roads: plac-