Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-03-21
BLOCKED BY MACHINE
LISTER STILL WINS
lContinued from PAGE II


got them ali sewel up IN the same liz
tie bag. ana then they put it over
Ii so happened tina, Governor Lister
had n little more backbone. a lltl"
more stamina. that they had counted
on. They had figured he would not
dare to veto some pet bridge or road
OF other appropriation tor one section
Or another. but he did. He took the
position that he was governor of The
whole state the watchdog of the treas
urr FOR the whole state, well knowing
hat all each legislator cared was that
he get his proportionate share OF the
pork barrel. So he threw cousterna-
, ton in the machine ranks by vetoirg
this pes appropriation and that, doubt
less mourning not a little disfavor in
the particular localities affected but at
i4he same time winning much more IA
yor at the hands OF the great number
of other taxpayers of the state. who
rightly felt he was subordinating sec
tional interests to the best interests of
The whole state.
You have read the papers, so 1t 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 reGuce-as he
did in every instance save that of the
Cheney normal school-he vetoed Fur
cher tnan that he could not do. For in
stance, there were numerous items in
she omnibus budget for the mainte-
nance of the state government he felt
should have been reduced. He could
not veto them for that would have i'm
periled the state government; he could
not reduce them for the law did not
give them that authority He had to
leave them as the machine fixed them
eSpd he fought them at every point,
sanG 40 the shame of the Democratic
LEGISLATORS in the house be it frankly
said he had to fight them almost as
Shard 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 with an
argument they could not answer. a
force they could not repel, compelled
sthem to agree to his compromise. He
saved the taxpayers $2,500.O00 in that
zone instance aione. He saved them an
x,other 15O0,DOG when his veto of the
Vancouver bridge bill was sustained;
100000 more when he succeeded in
preventing the appropriation OF more
than S$20O.O0O for the Panama-Pacific
ssand San diego expositions; $4,000
when his veto,of the Pend Oreille bridge
WAS sustained: 10000 when his veto
yof the Estate hand office investigation
was sustained; $751;, $50 when his plan
.sOf bond Issue against the capitol land
Sgraat 4or the construction of capitol
Ebnildings was adopted. and SO on
sthroueh the. other items he vetoed.
Further than Ebeing victorious in a
very large measure in his program of
economy, Governor Lister succeeded in
containing the enactment of the follow
ing recommendations in his inaugural
message: .lOgged-off land legislation;
appointment of special committee to
sdraft new laws; payment of interest
son Wenatchee bridge bonds; new drain
sage 7laws; creation Of department of
agriculture and consolidation of sew
.ssral former commissions; caution in
dealing with industrial insurance COM
EMISSION; payment to state OF excess
earnings of seven state boards; provi-
ssions for carrying into effect initiative,
xrefarHndum and recall amendments.
5Le failed in his efforts to consolidate
sofhnr state commissions by which he
propcsed to reduce the running ex-
penses of the state government, solely
and simply because of the machines
program of extravaganza and embar-
rassment. Other recommendations In
his inaugural message which were
blocked by the Republican machine
were: presidential primary; direct
election of senators: non-partisanshir
In city and county elections; abolition
4of straight ticket circle; shorter ballot;
public nse Of school buildings; aboli
rion of Cheney normal school; employ
zment OF reformatory prisoners on state
roads: placing of Monroe reformatory
Gnder board of control; dispensing
with bureau of inspection; new salmon
code: employment of state architect;
adoption Of state nag.
Had the machine enacted his con
.solidation recommendations, 1t would
have defeated its own ends, for the de
creased cost of the state government
that would have followed would have
-offset the increases allotted other de.
apartments and made in the road ap
preparations. The people of Washing.