Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-02-12
COUNTY OFFICIAL PAPER.
CITY OFFICIAL PAPER.
is IT RIGHT, OR is IT WRONG?

When you get man backed up in the corner,
away from all his friends and outside influences
and free to speak his own mind, the chances are,
if you ask him point blank, he will agree with you
that the sole question upon which all legislation
should be enacted, the ideal basis the proper basis
for the best interests of the state, and that
all people of all parties is the one question: is it
right, or is it wrong?
To be sure, do not always apply that test to
eur legislation in this country in fact the eases
where the decision is not warped by some other
influence than the honest answer to that question
are exceedingly rare. This is not phenomenon
peculiar to Washington by any means, or to any
other state-the enactment of party measures as
such by the majority in legislature in
gress is the prevailing rule, and when political
party because of its espousal of certain policies
is given the reins of government, it highly meet
and proper that it should enact as party measures
the laws proposed to carry out those policies.
But, except in very rare cases, such popular in
struction as to policies which is given the domi-
nant party in our national legislature seldom
reaches attempts or cares to reach the party in
control Of state legislature to anywhere near
The extent at least as it purposes to influence the
national body.
In other words, the members Of our state legis-
hture are presumed to be neighbors, more or less
enc Of the other, to decide questions and to pass
hws on neighborly basis applying the acid test
Of merit. Actually, aof course, it is different, in
that human nature is so constructed that those
who have the power find it difficult to restrain the
natural tendency for individual or group advance
nent, or temporary success, regardless of the
views, opinions or desires Of some other indvid-
uaIs or groups.
We see that tendency llustrated't to the extreme
in the present legislature, in the pronouncement
that no bill introduced by Democrat or Progress
sive will be allowed, by the Republican majority
70 pass in an abstract way it might be generally
agreed there is a possibility that Democrat or
Progressive might present some measure that
would be for the good Of the whole state, but
soncretely that is possibility the Republican
organization will not for one minute consider. So
far as the enacting machinery Of the present SEES
sion goes Republican bills and Republican bills
snIy are presumed to be meritorious.
1t was at this condition that Governor Lister
ia his speech at the Democratic banquet last week.
directed his plea that partisanship be cast aside
and that all questions before the legislature be
decided on the basis of whether they are right or
whether they are wrong, the keynote also of his
adyice that the Democratic contingent in the leg
hlature abandon the unit rule, each member
voting his own personal convictions on each
measure unlike the Republican legislative policy
Right now we have an idea that in the next two
years the people of this state are going to hear
more about this right OF wrong policy so strongly
advocated by, the governor and that some who
now ignore it because temporarily they have the
power to ignore it, will be considerably dis
comfited
For truly at the heart of it all, after every
thing else has been brushed aside, there is only
this single question: is it right, or is it wrong?