862. 



WASHINGTON. 



argument to justify the assertion that it should not 

 become a law. 



2. There are other valid legal grounds why such a 

 law should not be passed. The Congress of the 

 United States has created an interstate commerce 

 commission which has power to regulate freight 

 rates and adjust the grievances, if any there be, 

 which are attempted to be adjusted by the bill under 

 consideration. An act such as this not only dis- 

 criminates against citizens of the State, but it dis- 

 criminates against citizens in the neighboring States 

 of Idaho and Montana, who produce the same com- 

 modities as those mentioned in the bill and who are 

 compelled to ship such products to coast points for 

 transportation to market, or suifer a loss by shipping 

 them a greater distance to Eastern points. Common 

 carriers, under this act, charge the producer of wheat, 

 barley, flour, and mill stuffs, who reside in Montana 

 or Idaho a much greater rate than the producer of the 

 same commodities in this State. Under the laws of 

 comity between States, and under the principle which 

 should govern legislation in all matters where State 

 power is brought into conflict with the Federal power, 

 it is but justice and right that the legislative and 

 executive power of a State should, as far as possible, 

 assist the citizens of its sister States and the legisla- 

 tive and executive power of the United States, in 

 guaranteeing to protect the citizens of such sister 

 tates against unjust discrimination and infringe- 

 ment upon legislation already prescribed by Congress 

 for their protection. In my opinion, this law, instead 

 of taking such a course, materially injures and 

 curtails the rights of the citizens of the sister States 

 in protecting themselves from such discrimination, 

 and it certainly conflicts with the provisions of the 

 act of Congress known as the Interstate Commerce 

 act. It becomes thereby an infringement upon those 

 rules of policy and law which should always exist 

 between the States, and between the States and the 

 United States. It is therefore specially within the 

 province of the executive of a State to advise against 

 the enactment of such a law. 



Education. In the school year 1890-'91 the 

 school census numbered 100,052 persons, an in- 

 crease of nearly 14 per cent, over the preceding 

 year. The enrollment was 69,737, an increase 

 of nearly 25 per cent. Franklin County has the 

 smallest school population, 96, and King County 

 the largest, 15,484 The number of school- 

 houses built during the year was 235, the total 

 number now in the State being 1.275. The value 

 of school property is over $3,000,000. The aver- 

 age salaries of teachers are : Men, $53 a month ; 

 women, $42. The current expenses of the 

 schools during the year aggregated $932,491. The 

 indebtedness of the school districts is over $3,- 

 000,000. The State Normal School, at Ellens- 

 burg, was opened in September. Olympic Uni- 

 versity (Congregational), at Olymp'ia, has en- 

 tered into a contract for the erection of build- 

 ings, which are to be completed before May 1, 

 1893. 



Fruits. The Secretary of Agriculture, in a 

 recent report, says: "In eastern Washington, 

 along the river valleys and foot hills that sepa- 

 rate that State from Idaho, a great stretch of 

 semi-humid land exists, in which the culture of 

 temperate fruits, small berries, and valuable 

 garden products is already being brought to a 

 high degree of perfection. The display of fruits 

 in the orchards already existing there is simply 

 astonishing as to size, quantity, and quality. 

 In the valley of Salmon and Snake rivers, of the 

 Columbia, and other streams in Idaho, eastern 

 Washington, and Oregon, a large number of 

 bores have been made at quite high altitudes, 



and during the year 35 or 40 artesian wells 

 have been sunk for water, which rises with great 

 pressure and flows with considerable volume. 



Borax Beds. Extensive beds of borax in 

 Douglas County, which were discovered in 1875, 

 were unworked and unclaimed until the summer 

 of 1891, when work was begun upon them. 

 There is a solid deposit of borax 8| feet 

 thick, having the appearance of a lake a 

 mile and a half long and half a mile wide. 

 Wherever a hole is cut, a fresh deposit bubbles 

 up from the bottom and fills it in a few hours. 

 The borax is remarkably pure and translu- 

 cent. It is said that there are in the vicinity 

 abundant springs of fresh water unali'ected by 

 the salt deposit. 



Precious Metals, Wells, Fargo & Co.'s re- 

 port of precious metals produced in 1891 gives 

 the following figures for Washington: Gold 

 dust and bullion by express, $187,000; gold 

 dust and bullion by other conveyances, $30,000 ; 

 silver bullion by express, $112,000; total, $329,- 

 000. 



Industrial Fair. The Western Washington 

 Industrial Exposition was formally opened in 

 Tacoma on Sept. 10, with an attendance of 6,000 

 people. The main building was 280 by 300 feet 

 and two stories high, and was illuminated by 

 1,150 electric lights. It was divided into main 

 exhibit hall, machinery hall, art gallery, ladies' 

 fancy-work department, mineral department, 

 historical and educational department, etc. The 

 timber exhibit was especially fine. The build- 

 ing was erected in ninety days, and cost $72,- 

 000. It is the property ot' a stock company. 



The Columbian Exposition. The "State 

 appropriated $50,000 for the year 1891 for an 

 exhibit at the Chicago World's 'Fair. This is to 

 be managed by a commission consisting of one 

 man from each county. The Governor has the 

 power to remove any member for sufficient 

 cause, but all vacancies are filled by the com- 

 mission. In order to facilitate matters the mem- 

 bers appointed a commissioner, whose salary 

 shall not exceed $150 a month, who will exercise 

 all the executive powers and functions that 

 may be necessary to secure a complete and cred- 

 itable display. He is to have personal charge 

 of the solicitation, transportation, arrangement, 

 and exhibition of the objects sent to the exhibi- 

 tion, but. of course, under the supervision of the 

 commission. The State Mining Bureau will co- 

 operate with the commissioners, and will forward 

 all the mineral collections and cabinets belong- 

 ing to the State. 



Destructive Storms. On Dec. 7 a great 

 storm swept over Clallam County, which lies 

 along the southern border of the Strait of Juan 

 de Fuca. Thousands of forest trees were pros- 

 trated, square miles were covered with tangled 

 masses of timber. The new county road, which 

 had just been completed at a cost of $100.000. 

 was almost destroyed. The total loss was esti- 

 mated at millions of dollars. On Dec. 28 an- 

 other terrible storm occurred, which did much 

 damage to the shipping on Puget Sound. 



Tide Lands. Section 1 of Article XVII of the 

 State Constitution declares that " the State of 

 Washington asserts its ownership to the beds and 

 shores of all navigable waters in the State up to 

 and including the line of ordinary high tide in 



