The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1925-11-19
Goyernor's Message Bound
to Accomplish much Good
is General Opinion
EXPRESS PURPOSE TO
STARTLE THE STATE
Will Cause More Popular
Thought About State In
stitutions and Business

A cold, dispassionate analysis Of
inst what Gov. Hartley thought to
accomplish and what he actually did
accomplish with his rather radical
and most unusual message to the Leg
stature develops three outstanding
things:
/. The governor apparently did not
expect the legislators in session to
accept his recommendations on the
three major issues, schools, roads and
reclamation.
.. They were apparently made for
the express purpose of startling the
state and legislators into thinking
about these subjects.
8. The governor, thru giving the
legislators something to wrangle and
scrap over, has provided material
enough to keep them busy fully six
ty days considering big vital state
wide problems SO that the minor, sec
tional and strictly local demands for
special legislation will be forgotten.
The legislature when it was con-
vened on Monday, Nov. 9, faced an
accumulation of three years demands
for legislation. Some Of this legisla-
ton is good; great deal of it is
meritorious and should be enacted in
to law. At the same time a large
amount consists Of measures dropped
into the bill hopper by special fac
tions and special interests, with a
hope that it would slide thru with
out careful scrutiny in the great jam
of proposed laws.
Gov Hartley and his advisors could
not have foreseen just what the re-
suit Of his message was going to be.
They understand politics enough to
know that it was charged with dyra-
mite, but they apparently didn't rea-
lie that by an indirect burst of
shrapnel the governor was going to
accomplish what he could never have
Drought about by a steady persistent
Glve, that is, hating of wave Of
legislation which would have inter-
Tered with business activities. would
nave slowed up development and ex-
panslOn and would have cluttered up
the statute books with laws no one
desired Or wanted, or would desire or
want six weeks after the session ad-
journed.
Ine governors message has erected
something of barricade around in
consequential legislation. The legisla-
sefe will not have the time nor the
mclnation to consider it. There are
TOO many big vital problems involved
IA the message; questions which are
gong to cause some of the most bit
ser wrangling seen here in years.
1t makes no difference whether the
message was i'll advised, whether it
vas asking for things the state as a
weoie would never tolerate for
.a.lnute, Or whether it was destruc-
.,se OF constructive. The fact remains
.lat It has provided enough food for
mot subjects for discussion and de-
oste' TO keep the session busy every
maute for the next sixty days. This
m m 1seif is fine thing for the state.
,a ae pubic is tired of so much legis-
.sslOn. 1t is tired of legislation for
eoeps, cliques, interests. or combi-
nsSlons. It has been educated to a
So.nt Where it feels that business has
regulated 90 the ultimate, and
desires halt.
.ne message has also opened the
a! 1or the hard pressed individual
s.siator to escape from unwise
pEuges to aid the passage Of unnec-
ssa1y legislation. The legislator can
suln to his. constituency with the
suse n-sus tnat there were so many vital
ts .oD'ems OF statewide Importance,
sase his bills could not be reached.
al ~ can tell of his fight to "save the
o's' and all else will be forgotten,
n ne can tell of his efforts to save
s roads" and he will be praised
h..., a iorglven; or he can tell Of his
el.a 'e @ Tor reclamation, and everything
4 I VIII be lost in this discussion. Or
no. nis Z constituency is with the COVER
tSa M :. ne can tell how he fought to save
mn eApayers of the state.
sasa - results of the governors mes
to- Wlii be most beneficial. Legisla-
t;oe leaders after years of observa-
a,raaa VI legislatures working, are all
strna. ta upon this. Destructive or con-
enca sslve IN tenor, it makes no differ
eous, .ne fact will remain that the
II Rbnor h. consciously Or unconscious
of rns saved the state a vast amount
ine ecessary legislation by provid-
ST az .Solnethlng for the lawmakers to
Ts; elr teeth in and hang on.
hhto.ss Will be the first time in the
~ OF the state that chief ex-