The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1917-01-04
LIVE WIRE SPARKS


Just another word on the subject
of public officials. The Highland
News commenting on our remarks of
two weeks ago laid particular stress
on the necessity of getting good men
for public officials, and while we most
heartily agree with their remarks we
want to say that this is a harder and
more uncertain job than it appears.
For example, in electing our county
commissioners recently, it is safe to
say that few knew all the candidates
personally, and had to decide by judy
ing what they heard about them. Any
one who believed all he heard about
any of the candidates would be en-
tirely excusable if he refused to vote
for any of them, for lies and near lies
were freely floating around about
them all, and how was a person to
know the good man?
But again, when community is
given an opportunity to know their
candidates, how often is it that the
poorest man will get in thru playing
politics? Take our own history two
years back, when Clements was re-
ported to be making his campaign on
the threat that if he was defeated he
would build the court house just as
he has now tried to do. Yet Kenne-
newick stood for the blackmail and
elected him. ... -.
No-our position is to endeavor to
elect good men but not to place too
much dependence on the man, and to
provide plenty of safeguards to pre-
vent dishonest officials from using
their power to further their own ends.
But while we are passing laws here,
we want to change the recall law, too.
This law provides that upon getting
the required number Of signatures on
a recall petition an election shall be
held thirty days later, but it allows
the officials to hold office unrestrained
until the results of the election are
known.
When we have two officials like Glenn
ents and McNeill who are so determin-
ed to thwart the wishes of the tax
payers that they spend something
over $15OO.OO of the taxpayes' money
to help them to do it, the taxpayers
should be able to stop them thru the
recall. AS it is, if the recall petition
were signed, there would still be thir-
ty days in which to close up any plans
they might wish. We would like to
see an amendment to the recall pro-
viding that the petition when proper
~ signed and filed would act as re-
straining order upon the officials re-
called, in effect removing him from
Office until the result of the election is
known.
Finley has another mystery. A
long, low, rakish looking craft which
sounds like Ford is seen every night
speeding mysteriously thru the dark
ness along the mile stretch of road
west of the Finley school house. But
the mysterious part of it is that she
runs without lights. ,, * =.
The Pomona Grange meets with VAL
ley Heights at Biggam on the O-W.
next Saturday, Jan. 6.
John Storland has gone to North
Yakima to study the effects of the
recent /. w. w. activity in that town.
All kinds of jokes are cracked about
slow moving trains, slow moving mes
senger boys and slow moving congress-
men, but John Tyacke puts them all
in the shade. Last week while baling
hay his gasoline engine froze up and !
busted.
A Finley farmer recently had &C.
,asion to purchase harness and found |
that it cost him nearly fifty per cent |
more than the same harness a year
ago. cts the high price of leather"
The harnessmaker explained. Last |
week the farmer bought a pair of |
shoes and paid eighty per cent more
than the same shoes cost two years
ago. cts the price of hides," the
merchant explained. 81 wonder what |
hides are really worth now" thought
the farmer, so he stepped across the
street to ask, and was offered the
same price he had been getting for
several years past.
Now, where is the trouble? Every
one knows that all kinds of leather
goods have nearly doubled in price,
and undoubtedly it is on account of
L1,o cooro;fu If hidos h11f univ doaen,t