The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-03-30
By E. Ben johnson,
Senator Fifth District


When we arrived at Olympia and
began to size up the situation on
Sunday we observed during the day
that seven senators were in close
! consultation with the lieutenant gov
ernor and soon learned that they were
to be his rules committee and were
being consulted about the remainder
of the committee. Under the SEN
ate rules, the lieutenant governor
nominates all committees, which is
nearly equivalent to appointment, as
they have always been confirmed, ex-
! cept on one or two occasions.
We also learned that this rules
/, committee decided what bills shall be
E<laced on the calendar for considera-
tion and that their decision had been
overturned but once in many years.
The secret star chamber sessions
cf this committee practically decides
the fate of most important legisla
tion, for their power to keep bills
. from being acted upon enables them
to dictate or influence the character
of bills acted upon and gives them an
undue influence over the votes of in
> dividual senators. For they must
look to the rules committee to get
their bills considered.
Record of Men Caused Alarm
When we began to study the rec
ords of the seven men whom the lieu
tenant governor had selected for his
rules committee we were astounded
and alarmed. They were: Senators
Taylor, Carlyon, French, Croft, Jones,
Hall and Cornwell. The two last
named senators were perfectly salts
factory to every one, but Taylor had
. been speaker of the house and Car
lyon, French and Croft had served on
his rules committee there, being the
neuclus of the Howard Taylor ring"
Taylor had made the fight in the
senate two years ago for the infam-
GUS perpetual franchise bill, which
would have added millions of dollars
to the values of franchises of pub
lie utility companies. He had also
managed the fight for the certificate
of necessity bill, which was passed
and referred to the people and beat
= en- by an overwhelming vote last fall.
Carlyon, French, Croft and Jones had
aided him with the measures and
voted for both of them.
Too Much for TenderfOOt
This was too much of power and
traction interests control for even a
y. tenderfoot senator, and evening found
a hastily gathered meeting of dis
-senters. We found we would have a
majority of one in the republican
= caucus, on account of the illness of
two senators who might arrive at any
time, and who would be against us.
We decided to take chance on the
five democratic senators rather than
the power and traction crowd, and
when the republican caucus met we
threw it open as a senate caucus to
let in the democrats. Senator Mich
OILS was nominated for president pro
= tenn, a merely honorary office, but
this served notice on the other crowd
that the lieutenant governors COM
mittee nominations might no be con-
firmed. Overnight the defeated fac
tion came to some kind of terms with
four of the democratic senator's, so
that they received two important
committee assignments and supported
the lieutenant governors committee
/ nominations. Most of the democratic
senators were new men, and l am
sure they didn't understand the
situation and were imposed upon.
Five Held Strategy Jobs
To tenderfot senator this looked
like mighty clever work. But when
we saw the committee assignments
we realized that it was only small
Npart of the cleverness and general
ship that had been spent on the or
ganization plan. The five senator's
mentioned, on the rules committee
had been placed in strategic posi-
A tions on other committees to control
N or influence all legislation affecting
y. power and traction interests.
81 On public utilities were: Jones,
4 chairman; Taylor and Croft, with
a. Client of similar record, thus con
\ trolling this important committee.
On cities of the first class were
Croft, chairman; Jones and Wray OF
similar record.
On appropriations were: French
chairman; Croft and Carlyon.
~ On corporations other than muni
cipal were: Palmer, chairman; Of
similar record, Taylor and Croft.