The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-03-19
Legislative
Pap and Ego
Expensive
(Editorial)


(EditoriaD
On the last day of the re
cent legislative ssion a
Olympia an elderly member
of the house delegation from
Pierce county rose to hi'
Solonic feet and said some.
thing like this:
II wish to protest to tbs
members of this house. | have
not, during this session, re.
ceived my rightful share OF
patronage. | want the house
now to vote me a cash settle.
ment in the amount an EN-.
ploye chosen by me would
have collected had he been or
the payroll.
The "employe chosen by
me" would have been the
members wife.
She was not given a Job for
reasons best known to the
speaker of the house and the
clerk.
The house refused to grant
\ the disgruntled members re-
quest.
OF course. this in itself was
a minor incident-but it was
significant because it was one
of so many similar.
For at least 30 of the
so days of the session too
many members devoted
most of their time to
wrangling over patronage
(some of which was I'M
adulterated graft, par
tisan differences and
other topics having not
the remOtest relation to
legislation in the states
interest.
Perhaps in this egocentric
display, however, they &C
curately reflected that portion
of the commemorative citi-
zenry which seemed to apply
most pressure toward influ-
encing legislation at this last
session.
Never was there such
flood of bills designed
TO punish or handicap or
regulate" Factions Of
trades or businesses pro-
duced m assure after
measure meant to give
them economic advantage
- or to put competitors un-
der unfair restraint
even, in some instances,
to destroy them.
Never was there a session
In this state in which so much
attention was given to self
interest and special interest.
Fortunately, m d s. this
seething, sitting atmosphere
of Grass selfishness, many
members, Democrat and Re-
publican alike, retained a
sense of their responsibility
to the whole people.
They managed to vote down
or smother in com mitte e
many vicious bills. Of those
that passed, most should be,
probably will be, vetoed by
the governor.
While this was going on a
majority of the legislature
was voting for virtually every
bill offered that called for ex-
penditure of state funds. Then
the same members, all too
often. declined to shoulder re-
sponsibility for voting onto
the people the taxes to pay
the bills they had contracted.
: The result of this hypocrisy
is a prospective biennial def
cit of from four to eight mil
lion dollars.
And let it not be said that
this is due to the necessity OF
paying more pensions under
Initiative l4l.
Because, despite the man.
date of the people to provide
added and larger pensions, for
which the people voted their
willingness to pay, the legls-
lature authorized expenditure
of all-time record amounts fol-
highways ard schools.
The legislature left a
prospective deficit. not
with standing that it
ordered at least Fl million
additional tax dollars col
lected in the next two
years.
The legislature, note
worthy in a negative way for
the damage it might have
done but didn't, went home
leaving the prospective deficit
in the lap of the governor.
Now il will be seen what
the executives veto pen ano
4. his plans for economy in ad.
ministration can accomplish.
Much, we nope.
MINERS PAY BOOSTED
WALLACE, Ida.-Psy increases