East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-09-25
GOVERNOR WEST
ISEMDARRASSING
TO POLITICIANS
"PASSES THE BUCK TO
EMERGENCY BOARD MEMBERS
Fate OF Future Law Enforcement
Hangs on Action of Opponents Who
Are Candidates for Office-They
Must Now Show Their ColOrs.


Whether or not there shall be a
continuance of law enforcement In
Pendleton and elsewhere throughout
the state Is going to depend on the
action of the so-called emergency
board which has been called by Gov
ornor West to meet In Salem tomor-
row. In calling this meeting Cover
members of the board and there Is ev-
members of the bord and there Is eV-
idence the politicians upon the board
do not relish the predicament as may
he seen from the following story from
Salem:
SALEM. Ore. Sept 25.-There is
considerable speculation here as 70
the probable results of the first meet
ing of the new emergency board, call
Cd for next Friday. The meeting has
heen called at the request OF Cover
nor West. who has asked for more
funds with which to carry on his la"
enforcement, being CHIEFLY his Vice
crusade activities. The last leglsla-
ture appropriated $1,000 that can be
used for this purpose, and that Is no"
exhausted. and under the new Ia"
no deficiency can be incurred wltnoul
authority from the emergency board
So the continuance of the governor
activities along these lines appears TO
depend entirely on the action Of the
emergency board.
1t probably would not be dltflcult
to forecast the action the board VIII
take if that ever busy little creature
"politics." would keep away, because
II cannot be successfully denied that
the governors agents are getting re-
suits; they are cleaning up the towns
they go after, and are obtaining con-
victlons and fines far in excess OF the
costs to the state. Moreover, the
| constitution of the state specifically
| imposes upon the governor the duty
of seeing that the laws are faithfully
executed. The retort cannot be made
that the regularly elected officials are
amply able to enforce the laws. be-
| cause If they were enforcing the laws
the governors agents would finu
nothing to do. But when "politics
gets on the job 1t sometimes performs
queer antics.
And vet there is room, it is pointed
out. for a difference of opinion as TO
whether 1t is necessary for the gov
ernor to champion the cause OF law
enforcement as energetlcally as he is
doing, and as to whether an emer-
| gency exists This Is where the specu
lation comes in What view OF the
situation will the members of the
emergency board take, when all pu'
one or two of them are the governor
political enemies? Besides the gov
ernor. the board is comprised OF ben
w. Olcott secretary of state; L. b'
Kay. state treasurer; Dan MalarKey
president of the senate; c. n. McAr-
thur. speaker of the house; t. L. fer-
kins. chairman of the senate ways
and means committee; and ]. d. Ap-
bott. chairman of the house ways
and means committee.
To make his law enforcement work
effective. 1t will be remembered tha'
the governor caused score or more
bills to be introduced in the last leg
is,ature and because of the public
sentiment in their favor when mao
/ been aroused by a vigorous puolci's
campaign conducted by the governor
for several months prior to the legls'
lative session, nearly all OF theH
were enacted into law, until no"
there are ample teeth In the statutes
relating to crimes and liquor regula'
tions. Those in close touch with the
legislative work recall at this time al
NJ Artl
incensed at his fellow republicans fo'
placing some of these weapons OF
law enforcement In the hands of
democratic governor that he went or
the floor of the house and bitterly ar
raigned them for 1t. This occurred
when the bill giving the governor au'
thoritv to temporarily remove IRON
office any district attorney, sheriff oi
other peace office who failed or re-
fused to do his duty and appoint an
officer in his place for 9O-day perlous
was up for passage.
But public sentiment in favor OF
this sort of legislation was too stront
for even the speaker, who was th'
head of a well organized republican
machine, to hold the lawmakers II
line against the bill. This inciden
indicates the attitude OF Speaker Nc
Arthur at this time. All the legisla
tive members of the board were ma
chine leaders in the last assembly, ano
this may or it may not indicate their
probable attitude at the meeting mex
| Friday.
II IS rumored here also that Attor
nov General Crawford will be asked
for an opinion as to whether an EN-
ergency exists II he, who has no po
litical love for the chief executive
should hold that there was no emer
Rency It Is understood that this would
ease matters considerably for some OF
the members who really do not want
to grant the governors request FOR
funds but do not want to take the re-
sponsibility before the public.
At any event the continuance ol
the governors law enforcement acti'
vities now rests in the hands of hl'
political enemies. Under the law j
will take five out of the seven mem
bers of the board to authorize the de-
ficiency. The members of the board
| are politicians. Most of them Will be
up for office at the next election.
Discuss Traffic Systems.
| NEW YORK. Sept. 25-To discuss