The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1919-02-21
Bully For Private Corpora
tions But No Good for the
Common People


all of the reconstruction plans
brought to Olympia with such child
ish confidence at the opening of the
session of the Legislature have been
given the "once over by the bosses
and tossed into the waste basket. A
few of the minor measures are still
under consideration, and some of
these will be enacted into law after
those same bosses have painlessly
extracted all of the teeth from them.
And this Legislature, which was SO
patriotic in its promises to do
something for the soldier and to
help us realize some of the fruits
of our war for democracy" will ad-
iourn with record of nothing done
except the distribution among its
members of the biggest and most
indefensible pork barrel in the
history of the state. While the gen.
eral appropriation bill and the gen.
eral pork barrel road bill are still
in secret committee. and no one Is
nermitted to know how many mil
lions they carry, or for what pur-
noses these millions are to be eX-
nepded. it is now anticipated that
the total of appropriations at this
session will run above $50 900
and may reach total of S35,0o0,-
900. This is an increase of some 70
per cent over the total two years
ago and of nine hundred per cent in
twenty years during which period
the population of the state has in
creased perhaps one hundred per
cent.
These pork barrel appropriation
bills are fearfully and wonderfully
made. For instance the General APP
propriation Bill is framed by the
subcommittee of the Joint Appro-
priation Committee. The Appropr1-
ations Committee themselves hold
their meetings in secret and but
little information regarding their
doings reach the outside public.
But even the members of the Ap-
propriation Committee are not per-
mitted to know in advance what
items are carried in the General
Appropriation Bill. Norris the pub
lie permitted to know who are the
members of the subcommittee
which makes up the general budget
This Committee, after getting
reports from other subcommittee
of the General Committee meets in
secret and decides just what items
are to be put in the bill. 1t then
goes about among members OF the
Legislature and gets majority OF
them to sign up an agreement in
secret to enact the bill as introduc-
ed in the Legislature without the
change of single item. These
signatures are secured by Civ
ing to each member signing
the agreement the particular
appropriation in which he is in
terested. but without letting the
signers to the agreement, see the
whole bill. Having secured these
signed pledges to the passage of the
bill without change the bosses in
charge of it then proceed to insert
in the bill all the indefensible items
they have themselves conceived. or
have promised to other members or
to outside interests, In return for
votes for or against other measures
of special or general legislation.
With such machine as this in the
hands of bosses who owe all al
legiance TO certain special inter-
ests, and none for the general well
fare of the people, the result Is a
wasteful squandering of the public's
money and pathetic neglect of the
real needs of the state. When 1t is
remembered that this year the Cen
eral Appropriation Bill will carry a
total of 100000 to $40, 200, 600
in appropriations one can begin to
appreciate the magnitude of the
iniquities practiced under 1t.
. This waste of public money and
neglect of public institutions would
not he so serious except for the
practice of trading away the peo-
pleis money to secure votes for the
defeat of legislation demanded by
the people whose money is thus
squandered. Senator Conan, of
Spokane, President of the Exchange