Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-01-29
MOVE TO CURTA|L
GOVERNORS POWER
REPUBLICAN LEGISLATIVE OR.
GANIZATION RE-ARRANGING
TAX AND LAND BOARDS,

responsibility and political complex
ments will come about if the Repub-
lican organization in the legislature,
after side-tracking the measures in
troduced carrying out Governor
Listers recommendations, succeed in
putting through their plan of abol-
ishing the state tax commission and
re-arranging that department. the
state land department, the state
board of equalization and the state
land board.
The side-tracking Of the admins
tration bills, introduced last week,
the introduction of others by the Or
ganization's house committe this
week. and their schedule for passage,
constitute the first direct hitch of any
importance between the governor and
the legislature on the executives leg
islative program. The bills carrying
out the governors recommendation
still vested the responsibility of these
various departments in the governor,
as the existing arrangement does, and
proposed no change in the executive
responsibility or the political COM
plexion of the departments, so the
changes are being made by the Re-
publican legislative organization.
Listers Recommendation.
Tn hic ,moccopo IN tho Iopic1at,1ro
Governor Lister recommended that
the present board of three tax COM
missioners be abolished and that
tax commissioner be appointed by the
governor. The reduction in the num-
ber of tax commissioners necessi-
tated a change in the land board, of
which the three tax commissioners
are now ex-officio members, and also
change in the state board of equal
ization, of which the three tax COM
missioners are members.
Three bills, carrying out the gov
ernor's recommendation, were intro
duced in the house last week by Rep
resentative Frank Reeves, the Demo-
cratic floor leader, and this week
three bills were introduced by Rep
resentative McArdle. Upon the lat
ter's appearance, Governor Lister
issued the following statement en-
dorsing the Reeves bills:
"House bills numbers SO, 81 and
88, introduced by Representative
Reeves Of Chelan county cover my
views regarding this subject.
eff these bills are enacted into law
feel this important department can
be we'll handled. do not favor the
three bills introduced covering the
same subject, which provide for max
ing the tax department Of the state
an adjunct of the Office of the COM
missioner Of public lands. sin
cerely hope the bills presented by
Representative Reeves will be care
fully considered by the legislature,
along with the three other bills re-
ferred to, so that the state may Sc
cure measures that will bring about
the best administration OF the tax
department"
Wrong Impression Abroad.
The impression has been created,
for reasons that are obvious, that the
governor, through the Reeves bills,
is endeavoring to get control OF the
land board and the state board OF
equalization. This impression IS
false, because the governors ap-
pointees already compose the entire
tax commission, a majority OF the
state land board and majority or
the state board Of equalization, and
as a matter of fact his recommenda-
ton cuts down his patronage by two
employees instead of increasing 1t.
The Reeves tax commission bill
provides for the abolition OF the pres
ent commission of three members, ap-
pointed by the governor, and the sub
stitution of one commissioner, to be
appointed by the governor. The NC
Ardle bill provides for the abolition
Of the present tax commission ana
makes the commissioner OF puoiio
lands ex-officio tax commissioner, tax
ing control of the tax commission out
OF the hands of the governor.
The present board OF state iand
commissioners is composed OF the
commissioner of public lands, CHAIR
man, the three tax commissioners ana
the fire warden. the latter four oeing
appointees of the governor. The
Reeves bill covering this department
provides that the commissioner OF
CONTINUED on Page 81