Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-12-10
"CUSSING" LISTER.

Elsewhere in this ISSUE are published the COM
ments of quite number of the weekly papers of
this state relative to the looting of the industrial
insurance commission, and the political complex
ion of the paper speaking is also mentioned. One
very striking thing is to be in the criticism by
Republican newspapers of the Republicancreated
Republican differed and Republican-indorsed bu
reau of accountancy and of inspection of public
Offices; one thing to be expect =, no matter wheth
er it is justified not is the criticism of Governor
Lister and his appointees on the industrial insur-
ance commission.
The criticism of the bureau of inspection is more
than justified, we think, not only from it's general
reputation and the general hostility to it through
out the state for reasons that are SO we'll known
- not to need repetition, but also for the
"shootin' off at the mouth INDUCED in by the
bureaus officers at the time the looting was
barred by Governor Lister and the industrial in
surance commissioners, and for the further reason
that two sinspectors'' Of the bureau, one Of them
: member Of the legislature from jefferson county,
started in to "check" the industrial insurance de-
partment q year or SO ago, but soon 'slaid down.
the job and quit admitting they could not handle
L, that it was too big for them
So Tar a the criticism Of Governor Lister is con-
earned, and particularly the rampant maunderings
q the Tacoma editions Of the justly and univer-
ally hated Perkins Press, we join with the Yaki-
- Republic, one Of the best and also one Of the
~ ipAushtial Republican newspapers Of the
1t1$e, a the comment that If Governor Lister
~ been On the JOB sixteen hours day, he conla
- have prevented these frauds" He had 81
pointed men to see to that department; theirs was
handling employees and the details Of the Office
businem
So We come to the commissioners themselves,
and TIE comment of tie Tacoma Forum, an indie
pendent newspaper Of Bull Moose proclivities, is
70 the point After chasing Lister as the best
governor the state ever had, it indorsed personally
each commissioner, and added: ssThe fact that
the commissioners were imposed upon and their
confidence violated is not strange. Things similar
to these have happened and it might have said,
IN private concerns as well as public business
land will happen to the end Of the chapter The
commissioners, aside from being men Of high char
acter, are simply human, and they, we wish to
add, are compelled to rely on the honesty of their
subordinates in the Office as does the president Of
the United States Steel Corporation OF the direct
ing officer Of any bank or other private concern
And one thing is worth noting in spite of the crit
icism: only one newspaper in this state, and it
Of course the Republican faith, has declared that
the governor should fire" the commissioners.
These comments are published to give you who
read the Standard, and most of you live right here
at Olympia or in the country Immediately sur
rounding it, an opportunity to what the people
on the outside in the other sections of the state
think Of this situation. All are unanimous in de-
handing that it be probed to the bottom and so
all, we take it, will heartily approve the an
n0unced determination of Governor Lister to do
that very thing, in which the industrial insurance
commissioners themselves are of course materially
assisting.
MISUNDERSTANDING THE SITUATION.