The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1890-05-02
SOUND Az A DOLLAR.

Some time ago Governor Pennoyer
wrote an article for Public Opinion, q new
paper started In Portiand) on the subject
Of the Portland water Bill vetoed BY him
during the last lcgisiaturc. The governor
In bis veto message said:
This legislature, however, should not
adjourn without needing the demand Of
the city Of Portland for The privilege OF
Issuing bonds for the procurement Of pure
water, and without needing the equally
strong demand Of the people of the whole
state that In tina authorization Of such
issuance no special privilege shall be
graniei..
To fortify this position the governors IN
the article above referred says;
mo argument will be attempted. for
none u needed. III defense Of the veto Of
any and ali bills which provided for the
issu anee OF municipal bonds exempt from
taxation. That such bonds, when pur~
chased, become the private property Of the
purchaser. and that no private property
can be exempted nnde cur State Constf-
tution, from taxation, was the position ~
Aulned 10 each veto, and II Is absolutely
lmpregnabie
II have been unjmstiy charged with pre-
venting Portland from securing a good
supply of water. The fault lies not with
me but the legislature. The people OF
Portland failed IN having authority u pro
cure Bull Run water, not by the obstinacy
of the governor, but rather by the obstIn.
acy Of the legislature, which refused 20
pass aay water htsi unless the bonds were
exempted from taxation. The constitution
et.a aafa sa4 II IA
support. ~ well ~ the demand OF simple
justice. prevented me from approving n
bill which exempted from taxation any
class OF private property, while there
were none Of the obstacles to prevent the
legislature from passing a blu which
xouid have provided for the issuance of
water bonds which, when they became
private property. would have been like all
other private property, subject to taxation.
There Is an universal and weli-Eround-
ed complaint throughout the entire state
At the irregularfty of taxation. As our as
segsmeat law now stands the wealthy cvade
their Just share OF the state burden. II
either OF the Bills heretofore mentioned
had become Law, tbs inequality OF taxa
lion would have been increased. And yet,
~ has been seen, the change OF one single
vote would have passed the House bill
over the veto. Aud the purpose to cx.
esnpt bonds from taxation ID not dead. but
sleepcth Il will manifest itself at the
neat session. and will, undoubtedly, aug
ment to itself strength by alliance. Dur
ing the discussion OF the water bond quek-
ton in the las, legislature, one Of the most
prominent senators, and who Il yet SEN
atoF, declared that he was not only Ia f1vor
OF exempiing all municipal bonds from
taxation. hut also money itself In our
state, under our present laws the bulk Of
taxation falls upon the poor. Under the
federal government Ii Is still worse; there
not only Il all wealth exempted from tax
alton. bat in addition TO this grevious
wrong, the capitalists Of the couairy have
been permitted through Iss tariff. banking
and subsidy laws 10 directly rob the poor
by such governmental machinery for their
own enrichment. The result Of this poll.
cy can be read all over the country, and II
il the same everywhere as IN San Francis
co. where half dozen niilIonaires are
pcrched on Mob Hill, and twenty-five
thousand idle and starving workingmen arc
crowdlng itS streets. II Is high time that
there was radical change OF policy, not
for the worse, but for the better"