The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-11-03
$50 CUSPIDORS
GRACE CAPITOL
OF WASHINGTON
Political FIareup Shows
Gross Expenditures
BY RERTRAM o. WOLFE

SEATTLE, Wash. (By mail)-With
cuspidors costing Salts each 1t will
be pleasure to expectorate within
the limits of the state capitol build
ing at Olympia after the new furni-
ture now being contracted for by the
state capitol committee, and the north
west which is so proud of having the
biggest" and the greatest" and the
best" in everything will be able to
boast of the most luxurious recep-
tacles for saliva and tobacco juice Of
any public building in the United
States.
soc for Waste Baskets
Waste baskets will make even the
shabbiest trash feel genteel, for the
new waste baskets are being bought
at 500 each. Umbrella stands will be
too good to put any but dry umbrellas
into them and wet ones will have to
be parked outside when the new 1922
umbrella holders adorn the halls of
the 100000 building that houses the
dignity of the state government.
Only the best quality hats should
be permitted to hang on the hat racks
that cost s16S each. $4,000 was
spent by the State last Thursday on
just a few Of the necessities for the
proper carrying on Of the govern
ment's activities.
Novel Buying Method.
Instead Of calling for bids for the
necessary furnishing on a competitive
basis the state officials adopted the
novel procedure Of Ito quote the Co
vernor) asking these firms how
much they would give us for $685.
900 :" In many cases the unhappy
bidders had to enormously pad the
prices in order to reach the required
sum.
For example, II the state asks:
How many cuspidors will you give us
for $4,000? It would be insulting to
offer 1867 cuspidors at $500 each
since it would imply an inordinate
amount Of splitting on the part of
those who rule the destinies Of the
evergreen state. Consequently, the
the discreet company that won the
contract for cuspidors sold three
dollars cuspidors Chats what the
governor estimates them to be WORTH
for S47.50 each which would make
only 1O1 cuspidors for $4,000.
Hartley Loses Control.
OF course Governor Hartley would
have not been so ummannerly as to
point these facts out-there is usually
honor among those who award public
contracts and those who get them -
were 1t not for the fact that there is
a bitter faction fight In the repubn-
can party here and Governor Hartley
has just lost control of the State
machine to the anti-Hartleyites, and
is trying to get his revenge.
Hartley is one of the lumber barons
Of this state where lumber is king.
Back of the squabble appears to be a
scramble for the richly timbered state
lands in which Hartley got the short
end of the deal. He attacked the land
commissioner Clark V. Savidge alleg-
ing that he had disposed Of public
lands too cheaply.
He attacked "extravagant expend-
lures" on the State University and
recalled two of the regents appoint
Ing others. With that the battle was
on. From the standpoint of issues
raised, Hartley seems to have gotten
the better of the argument. But all
of the Seattle papers have attacked
him as an enemy Of education and the
republican machine has just been
captured by his rivals.
Plan Democratic Combine
There are rumours that HIS bunch
may combine with the democrats to
elect the speaker of the lower house
IF the State legislature. Be that as 1t
may, the democrats are profiting by
the confusion in republican ranks.
Martin Flyzic Of the United Mine
Workers supported Hartley, while
William B. Short of the State Fedora
ton of Labor supported his oppo-
nents. The general reaction of the
workers and farmers here, particu-
larly the latter, is one OF disgust at
the whole spectacle and will probably
result in the strengthening Of the
Farmer-Labor Party here, which was
considerably weakened in the La
Toilette election.
Especially among the farmers the
farmer-labor party is making rapid
progress. It has the support OF the
Washington Progressive Farmers
under the leadership Of William
Bouck. fg-
]. f. Freeman, a dirt.farmer Of
Tonasket, okanagan County, is the
party's nominee for Senator against
Wesley Jones, republican running for
reelection and Scott Bullitt, demo
crat.
ID M u