White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1923-03-23

escaped the william If one committee
to fall into the power of another william
In another committee, for committees
can quickly become death traps to the
best measures drawn.
1t would take days Of research
work to unravel the mysteries sur.
rounding the killing Of great many
bills which got off to a flying start
on the floor of the house and senate
only to trip and fall in a trade, and
the research work would not develop
the stories worth telling unless the
leaders in the two houses would grow
loquacious.
Only a third of the more than 600
bills introduced at Olympia during the
winter were finally passed by both
houses. 1t Is true that many of the
bills were narrow and selfish and did
not deserve to live and equally true
that in the closing days some excel
lent judgment was displayed by lead
ers in checking off several particular
ly Ubiquitous bills. Back of the failure
of the majority of the bills to pass
are endless political stories which are
seldom published, but live in the minds
of men who devised means for throt.
ting them. The mystery Of who killed
cock robin is not teaser In compar-
ison with the mystery of who blocked
or speeded up bills in committee.
Lack of Leadership.
For the first two or three weeks of
the late legislative session the mem
bers found themselves strangers to
one another, hesitant, suspicious and
slow to make confidants, but as time
passed and acquaintance were
formed and friendships developed leg
islation began to speed up, the COM
mittees worked with less friction and
the talks of getting a measure passed
through the house or senate became
less difficult.
Leaders developed slowly in the
house and three weeks were gone be-
for a flexible organization could be
nodded into shape. Inability Of some
of the older members to take control,
crack the organization whip and shout
commands paralyzed legislation for a
time, and throughout the session en-
couraged the exchange of individual
votes on pending measures. The SEN
ate worked more smoothly than the
house because it had the advantage
Of an organization which has been
handed down from one legislative ses-
sion to another, the result Of electing
senators for four years instead of two,
as Is the custom in the lower body.
Leadership in the senate was far
more pronounced than in the house
from the first day of the session, and
in the upper where mutual interests
were defined and where the members
were more experienced in legislative
affairs than in the house there was q
marked absence of friction and insurg
ent members were more quickly
coerced and taught obedience to the
established methods of handling bills
That Farm Bloc.
The appearance of the farm bloc In
the house prevented many Of the old
or and more experienced house mem
bers from rounding up following
which would throw its support to a
bill or against one and the presence
Of the income tax bill in the house
further interferred with the discharge
Of business. When the income tax
bill had been put out of the way the
appearance of numerous road bills,
the Industrial insurance bills and the
power bills prevented the house from
going forward in quiet and orderly
manner. New members could sense the
situation which existed, but found
themselves at loss to analyse 1t un-
til the last two weeks of the session
when they learned that vote begat
votes and that votes passed bills.
After that 1t was easier for the mex.
periensed to align themselves to the
best advantage.
Lobbyists worked through the ses-
sion with almost perfect freedom of
action and the liquor they were able
to import, coupled with that which
house and senate members were able
to purchase did much toward speeding
up the legislative machinery. Social
affairs and the social ambitions o.
wives of house and senate members
and the political ambitions of individ.
ual solons aid their place, too, and
helped many bill on its way.
Whiskey was always easily obtained
by those wishing it and to 1t and
! the distribution of $12,059,00O in road
money for the construction and main
tenance of highways may be traced
by many of the votes registered in the
journal during the final days of the
session. There was no United States
senator to be elected, but two years
hence 81 house members and % sen
ators must be chosen to legislate for
the people and the solons Of the 1923
session felt that it might be difficult
to return to Olympia in 1926 If some
thing wasn't obtained for the folks at
home in the way of road funds this
year That WAS what made Il hard