Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-03-04
Declaration That Lister Is Blocking Road Build
inc Is Untrue Vetoed Bills Made No
Provision for BuiIdinQ Roads
Governor Lister Stands by His Ante Election
Promises to Hold Down Cost to
Taxpayers if lie Could
By Freshwater, Editor Washington


tanned and calmly and quietly as
serted that they would keep both bills
in the rules committee until they OBJ
tained enough votes to pass both over
the governors veto, or, falling in that,
would kill the normal school appro-
priation too.
Tuesday and Wednesday tn. fight
ragged back and forth and while it
quieieG down on the surface after
Sims secured the expunging OF Tues
day record in Wednesdays session.
il was the prime topic OF discussion
and the pivot about which circulated
all vote trading. Where It was at
first thought the Taylor machine
might be able to swing enough votes
into line to put over the road levy,
tie impression gained ground as
the bills were held back that the ma
chine faced defeat, an impression
conferences with the governor.
Never before in the history OF
Washington's legislatures were such
tactics made use of as were employed
by the Taylor machine this week. in
eXpunging a whole days record and
in attempting to whip the solons in
line with any club available. But
these tactics served to ALLEVIATE not
a few who had been aligned with the
machine on the original considera-
ton of the bills and to make harder
the path it had chosen to tread. Even
though for while the machine had
thought he would not dare to do it.
the governors veto had not come "a
a surprise But the governor ap-
parently had meant what he had
said before election and after, and.
standing between the taxpayers and
the machine which proposed to ter
petrate monumental pork barrel
grab, he acted as he thought was to
the best interests of the state.
But bear in mind that one para
graph in the governors message
vetoing the road levy: while per.
sonally I am in favor of the con.
struction of good roads l do no. feel
that present conditions justify ex-
penditures so large at this timc.1 -
realize the great benefit good roads
are in the development of a state,
but cannot feel that there is sufficient
justification at this time to provide
Tor an increase Of $2,50O,OOO per an
mum for this purpose. In taking the
position do, I feel that the good
roads movement would be better
serving in providing for a reasonable
increase in revenues at this time than
it would by making the excessive
levy, and possibly in two or four
years from now, on cccount Of the
high rate of taxation, having the
levies cut off entirely"
Place Blame Correctly.
Let the blame be clearly put where
it belongs: on the Republicans in the
legislature. If the present levies re-
main unchanged, $4,O00,O0O will be
available for the construction Of roads
during the next two years, but that
money cannot be used If the republi-
can legislators in their wisdom, con-
tinuing the disgraceful tactics insti-
tuted during the last week, fail to
it. Governor Lister
stands ready to approve such a bill
or bill which will increase the am
cunt available to $6,O0O,OOO. but he
has drawn the line on pork barrel"
grab which would yield $S,O00,000
turing the next two years, believing
not only that taxes are high enough
at present but also that the methods
Of road construction adaptable for
Washington are not sufficiently de-
termined to warrant wholesale ex.
penditures.
Machine Appears to Weaken.
Compromises are now under WAY.
The latest reported-and it may BE-
changed by now-is that Governor
Lister will agree to ~ mill levy
the first year instead of the / mill
he suggested and mill the second
an increase of $25O,OOO a year-pro-
vided the legislature abolishes and
consolidates the various commissions
as he recommended in his inaugural
message. thereby mourning a saving