The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1917-01-25
STATE SOLONS
have STARTED
BALL ROLLING
LEGISLATION Mill at Olympia is
Pretty Well Creased by
This Time
TO REVISE THE CONSTITUTION
Question of Calling Convention to be
Submitted to VOtersANOn-
Partisan Talk Plentiful
iBy Committee of State Press ASSN

(By Committee of State Press ASSN
Olympia, Jan. 25-At the general
election in November, 1918, the vot-
ers of Washington will decide whether
or not constitutional convention is to
be called in 1920. This was made cer-
tain when. the senate passed the house
resolution providing for the submis-
Fl sion of the question to the voters and
sent the house bills providing the nee
essary machinery for the calling of
the convention, in case it was decided
favorably in November, 1918. The
calling of this convention has been ad-
vocated since 1907, but never reached
. definite proposal until the 1917 ses-
sion. It was urged in both the repub-
ican and democratic conventions last
summer, and was endorsed by prac-
tically every candidate for governor.
. This will be the first time, should the
convention be called, that any effort
has been made to revise the constitu-
ton since it's adoption upon the en-
trance of the state into the Union, ex-
cept thru the means of constitutional
amendments passed by the legislature
and submitted to the voters for ap-
proval or rejection. The voters amend
ed the constitution so as to permit wo-
men to vote, and to provide for the
Initiative, referendum and recall, but
have steadfastly refused to adopt any
proposals for change in the taxation
system. It is the change in the taxa
tion system and other matters which
the hackers Of the convention hope to
bring about. .zf.s ..->; -.n
Non-Partisan Primary n.r
Non-Partisanship gossip was given
fresh impetus when Senator French
introduced in the senate his bill for a
non partisan primary ballot. This
ballot carries all the tickets that are
. eligible under the primary law, and
allows anybody to vote for any one
man on any ticket, for any Office they
may choose. It gives everybody a
chance to pick his man regardless of
party. ~.-..r /a~g
The bill further provides for the
widest choice on the part of the peo-
pie. It is fashioned somewhat after
the non-partisan judiciary ticket. If
any one candidate for any office under
any party receives so per cent of all
the votes cast he is declared the NOM
lnee for that office and all others are
barred. In other words, if all the peo-
pie in the state, county or precinct
declare majority for any particular
Office, then that man so declared goes
without opposition.
If, however, no candidate receives so
per cent of all the votes cast, then
the two candidates for any office re-
celvlng the highest number of votes
go on the ticket at the general cleo
tlon under their respective party
heads. 1t is provided further in this
bill that if two persons in the same
party shall receive the highest num-
Der OF votes for the same office the
. one receiving the largest number shall
go on the ticket at the general elec-
tlon as the regular nominee of that
party and the other shall go on the
ticket under another heading desig-
mated as minority nominee"
Ihe bill will have the effect of MAX
Ing members of each party vote their
own ticket in order that their nominee
may get on the gallot at the general
election. 1t also provides that those
VINO are not strongly bound by parti-
sanshp may vote for any man for any
office on any ticket.
Swat the Lobbyists
Both branches of the legislature
nave taken action relative to the con-
trol OF lobbyists. In the house Davis,
Oh Fierce, fathered a resolution to take
away the floor privilege cards of all
persons found lobbying on the floor,
ana IN the senate Phipps, of Spokane,
introduced bill requiring all lobby
ISIS to register their names, the bills
III winch they are interested and the
parCles they represent to the presid-
ing officers of the legislature. This
DILL which carries an emergency
eiause' also makes it a misdemeanor