The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1915-03-18
REVIEW OF WORK OF
STATE LEGISLATURE
Session is Remarkable in Small
Number of Bills Introduced
and Passed.

Olympia.-The fourteenth session OF
the state legislature is a matter OF
history and the members departed for
their homes, most of them expressing
confidence that their actions would
meet with the approval of their con.
stituents.
The recent session was remarkable
in one respect in that fewer bills were
introduced and fewer laws passed than
at any session in recent years, only 20S
bills having passed. Perhaps this
may account for the fact that there
was less confusion and congestion
than usual during the closing hours.
One marked characteristic of the
session was the spirit of caution or
conservatism which prevailed in con-
sideration of general legislation.
when in doubt, vote no." appeared
to be a policy followed by both house
and senate.
The fact that the full crew amend
atory bilk died in the rules committee
of the house is one instance of this
cautious policy. Another is that the
senate smothered the bill permitting
laundry proprietors t. work the fem
mime help 10 hours in any one day,
but not more than As hours a week.
The full crew bill passed the senate
and the eight-hour bill the house, but
each failed in the other branch.
The liquor bills were not even
brought out for a vote by the house.
Eight Bills Passed Over Veto.
With the overriding of the COVER
nor's veto on the jitney bus bill dur
ing the closing hours of the session,
the legislature established a record of
having eight times over-ridden the ex-
ecutives official disapproval of its
measures The only vetoes to succeed
were those on the McArdle tax com
mission bill and on part of the budget.
The session started with attacks
upon Governor Lister and attempts to
reduce his patronage. After taking
control of the state land board and
board of equalization from the execu-
tive and passing these bills over his
veto, the organization changed its tao
tics. Several bills proposed to further
strip the executives power were al
lowed to die, and~the bill to abolish
the state tax commission, after being
vetoed, was chloroformed in the house
rules committee.
Majority Showed Power.
The legislature showed that it had
the power to the end of the session to
pass party measures over the veto OF
the Governor. The tax commission
veto was allowed to stand as matter
of policy. On the other hand three
measures were stopped in transit in
the legislature by threat of executive
veto. These were the Sharpstein cleo
tions bill to allow political conventions
to indorse candidates, the racing bill
to allow pari-mutual betting and the
boxing bill, to allow ten-round bouts.
The amendments TO the direct legis-
ton laws requiring signing of petit
tions only at registration offices, pass
age over gubernatorial veto OF the
Whitney election bill, restoring party
conventions and submission of consti-
tutional amendments restricting vot-
ing at bond elections to taxpayers and
increasing the percentages of sigma
lures required for initiative and refer
endum petitions afford an indication
of the power of the majority.
No Burdens on Industry.
Industry had no more burdens sad
died on it. The bill providing for the
certificate of necessity, which was
passed. gives the public utility corpor-
ations something they have wanted
They did not get the bill through pro-
viding for an indeterminate franchise.
but left feeling that something had
been accomplished While the first
aid bill passed is not exactly what the
mill men wanted, il is a compromise
measure not entirely unsatisfactory.
Governor Lister has intimated that he
may veto this measure because the
legislature did not accept the bill
drafted by his first-aid commission
In that event, there will be no first
aid law for two more years. The gov
ernor's commission bill was denounc-
ed by representatives of labor and in
dustry alike at several public hearings
and il was considered hopeless from
the beginning.
Appropriations Occupy Much Time.
Appropriation bills occupied much
of the time of legislators. In carrying
out pledges for economy the legisla-
ture has been successful to such de-
gree that the governor, who before his
advent as state executive had much
experienee with the financial end of
the state government has to date had
no fault to find with any appropria-