The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1915-03-20

The work of the republican
legislature in passing several bills
over the governors veto has
aroused such a storm of criticism
over the state that referendum
petitions are being signed to
bring the measure to a state vote.
The republican party leaders
backed a movement in the legis-
lature to adopt a plank of
the republican state platform
to kill the initiative and referen-
dunn system. The law was so
fixed that the initiative is made
most difficult, and the con-
troll is so vested in city registra-
ton agents that a few men could
kill any bill desired to initiate.
Party allegiance is demanded
of candidates for office, and the
party platform is made the basis
for campaigning, instead of per-
sonal merit. Boss rule in con-
ventions is brought back.
All believers in direct legis-
lation are slapped soundly in the
new laws which the governor
opposed and which the legis-
lature passed over his veto. The
state grange, the farmers union,
the labor organizations, the
direct legislation leagues, and
both the democratic and pro-
gressive parties are up in arms
against the new laws, leaving
none but the reactionary repub-
licans to stand by the changed
laws.
In some places the progressives
and democrats have met together
to take action against this plan
to kill direct legislation. The
press of the state has had much
to say of the matter, and the
boomerang which the standpat
party is meeting is not at all
slow in its flight.
Here is a sample of some CT
the newspaper comment:
Spokesman-Review, before the bill
had been passed over the governors
veto: 'The leaders of the republican
state organization seem determined to
pass the Whitney measure over the
governors veto. If they are not blinded
by partizanship they will make discre-
tion the better part of valor and drop
their agitation for the reactionary and
unpopular bills. The democratic organ
izaton would like nothing better than a
campaign in 1916 on that issue. Gov
ernor Listers veto tends to draw the
lines on this question, as the Spokes-
man-Review warned the republican
leaders when it predicted that 80 shrewd
and practiced politician as the gov
ernor would seize 80 inviting an oppor-
tunity. The republicans can not afford
to go before the voters next year on a
controversy against the governors OBJ
jections as he has stated them in his
veto message. 1t is entirely true, as
the governor says, that the whole
tendency of the bill is to throw party
restrictions around candidates and bind
them closer to party regulation and con-
troll, when, as | view it, the tendency
of great majority of the voters is to
get farther away from such restrictions.
1t makes the party platform the base
for support rather than the character
of the individual who may be candidate.
1t takes away the right of candidate
to exercise his judgment in legislative
matters, and tends to place control of
legislation in the hands of machine or
organization bosses of the majority
party"
Spokesman Review: "a chief issue
in 1916 will be whether this state shall
have a system of government in which
public affairs can be conducted as prac-
tical business instead of politics and
partizan expediency. The record that
(Continssd on next psgs.)