The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1869-01-16
THE QUESTION.

from time to time, through the col
umns of the Unionist. There is not mnch
additional to be said, but it IL we'll to
renew them again. The question is too
nomcntous to be lightly disposed of We
think the Governor ought to order such
an election.
! First, because the Constitution makes
| it his plain duty to do so. The statute is
explicit aud mandatory It's his duty to
call an election intncdintclv after tho va
cancy occurs. The Constitution does not
contemplate that the State shall ever be
without Legislative Assembly ready to
act when required, aud to this end il pro-
vides for filing any and all vacancies as
soon as they occur. 1t does not leave any
| discretion TO the Executive. 1t says he |
shatt-uot that he may. We again quote
the paragraph, from the Constitution, art |
| 5, sec. II, which defines the duties of the |
| Governor.
"He shall issue writs of election to fill
such vacancies az may have occurred in
the Legislative Assembly"
II matters not whether one or twenty
of the members resign or die. When the
vacancy exist, il is 10 be filed tDamcdiatc-
| ".
1t matters, not whether the resignation
occurs before, during or after session
The State is TO be ai,eays provided with
a Legislative Assembly competent to act.
Unexpected emergencies may arise at
any time requiring prompt action. II was
10 provide against such emergencies that
this provision was incorporated into our
fundamental law.
ISeoond, economy demands n special
session forthwith. The State crcdi. is be.
low par now, and it Is rapidly going down.
II has always been our pride that our
State Warrants were as good as gold
They are now nominally worth eighty
cents on the dollar, but cannot be sold ia
any large amounts for even seventy. five.
If the present anomalous condition Of nf.
fairs continues until September, 1870, they
will be down 10 ffty cents or less. Why
are they not worth p1ry There are many
thousands of gold locked up in the State
Treasurer's safe, and many Thousands
more coming in soon. Nothing can be
paid out because no Appropriation Bill
was passcd-and only The Legislative As
r
OF tho State may be approximately stated
for the next two years provided there
was no depreciation IN warranis), at three
, hundred thousand dollars. II this amount
, is deprecated only t,cenfy flee per c, Mt.
, (Which is doubtless a great unIcrcs,i.
, mate), there will be loss Of tercntg.Gee
!. thousand doiiars! Who will lose it ?
= 4 small part will be lost by the saiaricd
:, officers Of the State, who must sell their
/ warrants as they receive them, to live,
4 and somc By contractors TO the State, but
;. the main part will comeef of'the tar pgycrs.
Can they afford 10 let the finances II the
: State drift in sea Of bankrutcy for two
i. years at a cost 10 them Of sixty or seventy
: ihousand dsllars! We think not
: Third, the withdrawal Of 50 large au
), amount of hard money from circulation,
= locking it up IN the strong box of the
; State Treasurer until 1870. will be disas.
!. irous la buisucss, aud produce financial
:, ruin. CAM We afford TO take three hun.
drcd hous0nd dollars of com out Of crcu
e Iation for two years! Can Douglas coun
!, y afford to have her $4,000 dollar,
!, locked up! Or Multnomah her $50, 900
or Marion county her s37 900 or Linn
her $50 800, without seriously disturb
ing business? No good, but much aarm
Re must arise from such reduction of tho
= circulating medium. II will be felt b,
g every mechanic, and especially By ever,
:. merchant and trader in the State. There i.
at always scarcity of currency in hare
70 money country, aud in this State. whcr,
;" we have few banks. few facilities Of RAPID
; business intercourse, and never grea
, plcIiy Of coin, the result Of this state o
!, things will be most disastrous.
= Now if a special session is called ant
;. held, in what way is the State liable to b.
- damaged 7
: First, by the expense of an election il
! the counties lately represented by tn,
- members who resigned. These are Doug
= las, Marion. CIackamas, Goose and Curry
:, Columbia, Washington, and Benton. Tn
= cost OF an election in these counties Nigh
u be estimated at 81 200.
: Second, the expense Of special Sos
- sion which will be $4,000. Making
/. total ofsay, Sll 200, the entire cost. Thi
=. is paltry sum compared with the los
: tho State sustains otherwise The los
~ on the Penitcntiary or the Insane Asy
!, lum warrants either one, would excee
IL It,
: = But they may impeach Gov. Woods, j
~ ~ is said We pay little heed to this non
= sense, for we don't bcliaye that even thu
= Democratic body would be insane enoug
r = to attempt such measure, aud we ar
- - confident it would fail if they did. Blu
- !, suppose they do? Is it not better for th
= State that its Governor should be wrong
- fully accused, and full opportunity give
him to prove his innocence, than that W
- should drift into chaotic bankrutcy as W
" are now doingY They would no dout
r shower good deal Of Billinsgatc abus
:, - upon the Governors head, but it wi
~ shed off as harmless as aSeptember foG
IS, The people, the tar payers, the sabstd'
he tiat men of the State are almost univel
ar sally in favor Of seeing the Governor obe
very explicit mandate of the Constitution
90 We think he should no longer delay it,
al Salem Enionist.