The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1913-05-23
A REGRETTABLE MOVE

tne railroad anu pubic SeFNlCe GULL
mission of the state since the spring
of 1907, holding office under both Gov
ernor Mead, who appointed him, and
Governor Hay, who re-appointed him,
was forced off the commission the
other day to make way for partizan
of Governor Lister, Mr. Arthur Lewis,
of Spokane. Mr.. Jones term expires
in 1915, but he is sacrificed for urgent
political reasons and with him is sac
rificed for a year or two the efficiency
and effectiveness of the commission.
From the point of view of the general
welfare this is regrettable. From the
narrow angle of politics, it is doubt
less faultless move in the construc-
ton of strong, loyal and efficient
organization by the governor.
Because of his long service on the
commission and his conscientious and
studious devotion to the work of the
commission, Mr.. Jones was a valuable
member OF that body. He grew up
with the work of the commission, was
party to the pioneering investiga-
tons in the big field of public service
regulation in this state and held be-
fore him always the ideals upon which
the policies of the old commission
were founded While always stanch
republican, Mr.. Jones was never an
obnoxious partizan, and he always set
politics in the back ground in dealing
with the problems and performing the
duties devOlving upon him as men,
Der of the commission. During the
part either in the primaries or the
general election, following to the let
ter the instructions given by Cover
nor Hay that the business of the state
should take precedence over consider
alton of politics. No act of his justi-
fies his removal from the commission
at this time.
In the light of his repeated dec
larations that he would make no par
tizan appointments that he would in
sist upon but one thing in the public
service during his administration and
that efficiency, it is difficult to under
stand why Governor Lister should re-
move Mr.. Jones from the public SER
vice commission. By doing so he
leaves the commission in the hands
of new men, who have everything to
learn, and who must labor under the
great disadvantage of learning with
out the assistance of consultation
with one familiar with the work of
the commission. 1t is true that Rate
Expert Calderhead is still an employee
of the commission and he can be of
invaluable service to that body now
as he always has been, but unless he
is made member of the commission
he cannot give to that body the full
service of his large knowledge and
intimate understanding of the prob
lens that come before it for solution
Mr.. Wilson, who has served a little
over a year is still member, but he
is still learning. And while he knows
much of value that the other two
members have yet to learn, it is evil
dent that his days as a commissioner
are numbered and that his head must
fall with the others who are guilty
of being republicans.
Governor Lister is probably doing
what he concieves to be the proper
thing in making changes on all the
important boards and commissions of
the state administrative organization
and in appointing loyal partizans to
the places. But it is confusing, to
say the least, to attempt to harmonic
his course with his forcible utter
ances on this very question of patron
age. There is no discounting the fact
that the hardest nut an executive has
to crack is the handling of appoint
ments. He always finds his motives
subject to question and critical con-
struction. He has not only the COM
petition for place within his own yarty
to deal with, but the coldly cynical
disapproval of his political opponents
to consider and the larger interests
of the general public to regard. AL
together too often is the executive
damned if he does and damned il he
doesn't. He has his own salvation
to work out his party's interests TO
to work out, his party's interests to
safeguard. If he permits any one of
these considerations to control his ac-
lions he Is certain to work his own
undoing. The ideal course is to think
only and act only in the lntrcsts of
the people as whole, regardless of
party or personal considerations. But
the ideal never proves entirely prac-
ticable in this wonderfully and mys-
teriously organized old world. The
practical man will, therefore, give due |
regard to personal and party claims
when he makes appointments. The
mistake he is apt to make, is a desire
to give the impression to the public
that he doesn care a rap for such
&C nsiderations aud that all he Intends
to do is to run the business of the
state on wholly non-partizan and
basis. This was what
Governor Lister repeatedly promised
to do. But now that he is up against
The practical fact of having appoint
ments at his disposal. he is discover
ng that he is just about as human IS
his fellows, and he is forced, or finds
t eXpedient, to do things that fail Ut
erly to measure up to the ideals of
lis nraachmaut