Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-03-05
SEVERAL LAWS FACE
REFERENDUM IN 1916
LABOR AND FARM ORGANIZA.
TIONS TO ATTACK ANTI.
REFORM STATUTES.


While the Republican organization
in the house and senate this week has
thrown down all pretense and waded
right in to a repeal of the eight-hour
public works law, a weakening of the
women's eight-hour law which will
also cripple the minimum wage, abo-
ltion of the direct initiative, raising
the percentages of signatures required
to initiate measures to the legisla-
ture and for the referendum, making
it necessary to sign petitions at
points Of registration, and attacking
various other features of reform leg
islation of the past few years, plans
were already being gotten under way
by the labor and farmers organiza-
tions to apply the referendum to these
repeating or amending measures.
The consequence is that it will not
be at all surprising to anyone who
has been watching the trend of af-
fairs arou.,. the legislature and the
success with which the policies that
perme ateL the Stop Look Listen
leagu. last fall have shaped the leg
islation OF the present session, to see
the r, .eru ldum applied for the first
time in the states history to five or
six of the laws the Republican organ
ization has passed or ha scheduled
ization has passed or has scheduled
Lister vetoes some of these measures.
as these various organizations hope
he will, the referendum will not be
necessary.
The constitutional amendment au.
thorizing the referendum requires
that petitions must be filed within 80
days after the close of the session
and only per cent of the voters
not more than 30.O00--are required
to sign them. The petitions will call
for a submission of the measures to
a vote of the people at the next gen.
eral election in 1915 and the law
upon which referendum is asked
does not become effective unless
majority of the voters approve 1t at
that time and then not until in De-
cember. 1915.
Liquor Bills Big Issue.
Aside from the eleventh-hour scrap
in the joint roads and bridges COM
mittee over the division Of the road
''pork barrel" in Eastern Washing
ton, among the most important feat
ures Of the week have been the two
new liquor bills, repeating Initiative
No. and levying an excise tax to
pay the expense Of special election
this year, the balance of such reve-
nue. to 60 into the state road fund.
Any bill that does not reach Cover
nor Lister before 5 p. m. Friday OF
this week need not be returned by
him until after the session closes,
when of course it would be impos-
sible to pass any measure over his
veto. Up to a late hour Thursday no
action had been taken in either house
on the liquor bills. though earlier In
the week committee hearings were
held, so today is the last day the
"wets" have to put the measures
through to get them to the governor
so that they will come back In time
to pass them over his veto, II neces-
sary, and If they can.
The strongest lobby Olympia> has
seen this session, comprising bankers
merchants, hotel and transportation
men of Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane
have been here for the past week
boosting the two measures. While
the complexion of the legislature Is
indubitably wet, as shown at the out
set of the session when a test vote on
a motion not to consider or review
the liquor question was at first voted
down, nevertheless good many
members of senate and house would
dodge the issue II they could II Tor
no other reason than, as one OF tnem
said this week:
"If the legislature passes pills re-
committing the liquor issue to the
people, 1t gives Governor Lister a DIE
political advantage, which. naturally
we do not want him to have. Inc
governor is dry and what Is more ne
Ia irsistent that the initiative prohlDl-
ton law passed last fall shall be given
a fair trial. II we pass bills for re-