Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-02-25


OLYMPIA, Wash, Feb. 23.-(Spe-
cial. al.)-Combinations We're broken
and mended and broken again many
times during the last week, the clos
ing one for the Introduction of bills
in Washington's Thirteenth legisla-
ture. On most occasions Taylor and
his steam roller-the Republican ma
chine-worked to perfection and bills
were passed regardless of the OppO-
sition of those on the outside, but
when Taylor switched his forces to
the support of the COW counties in
the fight over the re-apportionment
bill, the antics of those inhabiting
the main floor of the House took on
the aspect of Kilkenny cats.
So the merry war began and ended
not without many sore spots and de-
sires for revenge, particularly among
the King and Pierce county solons
who were worsted in the re-appor-
tionment fight, and many promises
that the battle would be carried to
the floor of the Senate, where dire
vengeance and a little of the process
known as rubbing it in" would be
applied to those who hailed from the
smaller counties and dared to rule
the state.
Old Combinations Shattered
In the fight that developed over
this measure we saw the House in
a pandemonium and all the combina-
tions effected during the first five
weeks of the legislature scattered to
the winds, but in the action Of both
Houses on the appropriation bill, in
which little matter of $1,S00,0O0 was
tackled on the cost Of running the
state government for the next two
years by the Republican majority in
the legislature, we saw the steam
roller in it's finest, smoothest rum
ming order. To have received the
appropriation measure one day and
to have passed it the next, with only
few minor technical changes,
through both Houses, is a record no
other legislature can point to and
speaks we'll for the efficiency Of the
aforesaid steam roller when all the
joints are oiled and the gears are
running well.
Friday was the banner day Of the
session. Time and again members
Of the House attempted to escape
the watchful eyes of the speaker or
the sergeant-at-arms during the tur-
moil of the last day for introducing
bills, but each time they were caught
though one erstwhile legislator, H.
E. Foster of Seattle, was climbing
aboard a train Seattle-bound when he
was grabbed and jerked back to his
duties to the state. So anxious were
some of the members of the House
to get away on their usual weekend
vacations that the speaker found it
necessary to operate behind locked
doors, which of course is a little
feather in the caps of the representa-
tives of "the peepul."
Two measures stand out prominent
ly in the record for last week: the
appropriation bill and the re-appor-
tonment act, the former taking the
in both houses in unprecedented
swiftness. 1t carrier a budget of 3d.
563.62S07 for the maintenance of all
the state institutions, the payment of
salaries of all state officers and en-
ployes, the upkeep Of the educational
institutions and all other administra-
tive expenses for the fiscal biennium
beginning April 1. All the institu-
tions are provided with from $780,
900 to 100000 more than two years
ago and small increases are provided
for different state departments with
the exception of the attorney gen.
erals office, which receives big
boost from $3S,6OO to $4,000.
Appropriations May Get Knife
Governor Listers attitude on the
appropriation bill has been subjected
to all kinds Of guesses, for the Demo-
cratic executive has made no public
statement as to what action he would
take. It is believed he may veto
few of the items, but the prevailing
opinion is that he will approve it
generally. No one dares to essay a
guess as to particular items he may