The Legislature’s Unfinished Business—and the Case for a Special Session
An anonymous Olympia lawmaker told The Tribune that defective appropriation laws, unpaid citizens and stalled state business demanded a special session by December.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
“Do you favor an extra session of the legislature?” asked a reporter of THE TRIBUNE today of one of the well known members of the legislature. “By all means,” was the reply. “I think an extra session is a very live question. The secretary of state I see has advertised for bids to put some fresh shingles on the roof of the old capitol so that the rain will not beat through on the heads of the able senators this winter. There is about thirty days work for the legislators, to straighten out nearly all the appropriation laws, fix the law for the selection of the state lands, listen to vetoes of the acting governor and pass upon them, perhaps elect a United States senator, adopt a practice act for which the attorney general says the state is suffering, possibly repeal the law for the appointment of a state agent which the governor has never carried into effect, pass a railroad freight law and an eight hour law in accordance with the promises of both political parties and do many other things which was not done at the last session in consequence of crowding the work of sixty days into the last two weeks of the meeting. Oh yes, an extra session is the liveliest question in the state. There are hundreds of citizens to whom the state is owing money, legally earned. Times are hard and they want it. They can not get it from the treasury nor can they get a warrant for it in consequence of defective laws. I think the governor ought not to hesitate. He ought to call it by December 1st. “Suppose the supreme court does not uphold the position taken by Auditor Reed?” “I think it will. I am aware that the governor does not agree with the state auditor in the university matter but the latter is clearly right. The governor wants to avoid an extra session. It will cost less to straighten things out now. There is a great deal of dissatisfaction all over the state relative to moneys due and to the tying up of appropriations which would put money in circulation and relieve the stringency of the money market somewhat. It will do the republican party no harm to have an extra session. The democrats fear it.”
“Oh yes, an extra session is the liveliest question in the state. There are hundreds of citizens to whom the state is owing money, legally earned. Times are hard and they want it.”
The interview captures a familiar civic mood: lawmakers leave big promises unfinished, bills go unpaid, and a special session becomes the remedy. Then as now, legislative paralysis has real costs for people waiting on money and services.
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