The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1915-02-05

Olympia.-While the legislature did
its first real legislative work during
the third week of the 60-day session
little of Importance to the state at
large was accomplished.
The present legislature seems dis
posed to take things easy and does
not appea to be in any hurry TO seho
measures up to the governor, but Is
inclined slowly and easily to enact
comparatively little legislation. very
little announcement was given a res
olution to end the session in 40 days
and the usual protests against FRIDAY
to-Monday a~djournments have oeen
lacking in both houses. There Is such
a small amount of business transacted
each Friday, that really during the
first three weeks there have been only
four working days.
Only two bills have passed DOM
houses during the first three weeks,
these being the measures rushed
through the first day to appropriate
S1O5. 900 for expenses and printing OF
the session. The senate has passed
| IL other bills, none of which have oeen
acted upon by the house, while the
house has passed four other bills, none
of which have been acted upon by the
senate. None of the bills passed nave
been important ones. The most I'M
nortant action taken has been the in
definite postponement by the senate
of the two Palmer bills proposing to
lower the public and permanent high
way Ieyies. This will have the effect
of preventing any reductions IN the
highway levies at this session, d
the rules of the senate, unless a TWO
thirds vote can be obtained, which IS
unlikely.
Legislation Week Behind Usual
That maneuvering over the liquor
question and other political chickering's
have put the present legislature at
least one week behind its usual pro
gram is indicated by a comparison of
the present record with that OF the
last legislature. In the 1913 session,
aside from the appropriation bills for
legislative expenses, the first bill was
passed by the house on the eighth day
and by the senate on the 18th day. In
the present session, eliminating the
legislative expense bills, the first bill
passed by either branch was adopted
by the senate on the 10th day, while
the house did not pass its first bill
until the 18th day.
The present senate and house have
had their first calendars exactly SIX
days longer than the first calendars
of the same houses in the last legis-
Iature.
Normal School Inquiry Ordered.
With no dissenting votes in the
house, but with five mays" in the SEN
ate, the legislature adopted a resolu-
ton calling for a thorough ~investiga-
ton into the construction of new build
ings at the institution for feeble-mind-
ed at Medical Lake, and into the re-
ports that skimping was done on he
erection of the Cheney normal school
Senator Nichols of King and Repre-
sentative Hart of Pacific were m
as the special investigating committee
with all powers to swear witnesses
and conduct a thorough probe into he
charges.
Five buildings were erected for the
institution of feeble-minded at Medical
Lake recently at a cost of s23O,OOO.
They were built one and a half miles
from the site of the existing struc-
lures, adjoining which the legislature
ordered the new buildings put up. The
extra cost of placing the buildings on
the new site, without authority OF the
legislature, will run well up into five
figures, it is understood. and the ser
iousness of this charge is fully appre-
ciated by both houses. The charge
made in connection with the construc-
ton of the normal school at Cheney
is that the building was not erected
according to specifications and that
there was skimping of material.
Committee Favors McArdle Bills.
Floor Leader Reeves, for the demo
Gratis, won his fight in the house when
joint bills from the privileges and
elections and state school and granted
lands committees were forced from
the calendar and referred to the judi
ciary committee. This put both the
Reeves bills and McArdle bills in the
hands of the judiciary committee.
These measures abolish the state tax
commission and change the person
mel of various state boards. eliminat-
ing the governor and his appointees.
The house made the rival democrat
ic and republican tax commission bills
a special order for Monday, a point Of
order forcing the republicans to aban-
don the plan to indefinitely postpone
the democratic bills, as reported by