The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1919-02-21
THE SIXTEENTH LEGISLATURE IS
A GREAT PORK BARRE" FACTORY

the soul of honor when compared
with the political leader who buys
votes for the corporations and pays
for them with the money of the
people taken out of the State Treas
ury." But the old crude custom of
buying votes directly has passed in
to disrepute, while the less honor
able method described by Senator
Conan is in the full flower of its
shining glory. And Senator Conan
himself business man of promin-
ence and some distinction, has found
himself unable materially to check
it's operation, and this, despite the
fact that he is a member of the
Senate Committee on Appropria-
tions. If a big business Senator,
working with the machine and a
member of this Inside Committee
finds himself powerless to resist the
working of this iniquitous machine
it is of course not reasonable to ex-
pect much to be accomplished by
the little group of members repre-
senting labor and the other demo-
cratic interests in the respective
Houses. The best they can hope to
do is to offer what little resistance
| 4 hold inintIitnuc InOicla
tion long enough to make its sup
porters go on record and try to let
a little daylight into the methods
and results of this method of enact
ing laws.
In this melee of special interest
and corporation misrule there can
be little hope for much useful legis-
lation in the interest of labor, And
if there is any such hope it will be
disappointed. Measures of as much
consequence to the workers as the
Small Claims Courts Bill which
would enable workers to enforce the
payment of wages without paying
exorbitant attorneys fees and court
costs, are being openly opposed or
secretly thwarted, despite the fact
that they have little opposition
from any outside source. The new
Accident Prevention Code, which is
the result of a series of conferences
between representatives of employ
ees and employers, and applies the
principle of collective bargaining to
the premulgation and enforcement
of rules to prevent accidents will
have a little more consideration
since it has capitalistic as we'll as
labor support. But the bill increas-
| ing the compensation to workers or
their dependents in case of perman-
ent disability or death, while very
reasonable in it's terms, is making
little progress, and the bill for the
abolition of the contract doctor and
contract hospital for temporarily
disabled workers is hardly started
on it's way towards enactment. Such
Nom Partisan Election Bill, and the
bill for a constitutional amendment
to make it possible for the people
to amend the constitution by the
initiative are looked upon by their
friends as already lost for lack of
friends and supporters in the Leg
islature.
Our ancient and honorable enemy,
High Cost of Living" is another
gentleman who will be treated with
the utmost consideration by this
session of the Legislature. Unless
all present signs fail no laws will
be enacted this year.which even pro-
pose to cut the profits of the middle
men or curb the mad riot of the pro-
fiteers.
The only measure along this line
1
which has had much attention is
the Municipal Markets Bill, and
this bill is now locked safely away
in the morgue of the Senate Rules
Committee from which it will only
emerge when the Senate or that
Committee is ready, and when they
are confident that 1t will be defeat
ed. Last week when there appeared
to be some possibility that 1t might
get favorable consideration Olympia
was flooded with lobbyists repre-
senting the profiteering middlemen,
and these lobbyists rounded up
nearly every member of the Senate
in opposition to the bill.
A bill brought hefe by the Seat
tie Anti-Rent Profiteering League.
which proposed but very slightly to
modify the laws enabling landlords
to boost rents, has lain for three
weeks in the graveyard of the House
Judiciary Committee.