Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-11-20

the fee system shall be abolished. They
can say whether insurance companies
and other corporations shall be taxed
ia this state rs in others. They can
even say what the governors salary
shall be. They can say to every public
servant, thus far shalt thou go and no
farther. Then let the people see wheth-
er they will be obeyed or not. Let
them see whether they have self-gov-
ernment by the people, and no taxa
ton without the consent Of the taxed
or not. They must take the reins in
hand or let the horses run away as they
did in the last legislature and many be-
fore it, They must govern or be gov
erned by the taxeater. M. Dawson
of Keasey, Or, writes: "Our remedy
Is direct legisiation-the initiative and
referendum of the obligatory form.
The Pupu.ist platform will doubtless
contain demand for direct legislation,
state, national aud local. We must
have a remedy against corruption and
corporate greed aud the people will have
it even at the expense of party, ii not
otherwise" The thought in Mr.. Dav-
ison's mind is ripening in the minds of
many men of all parties. He Is Pop
ulist. But he is intelligent enough to
see that mere party triumph of Popu-
ism may afford no relief. Populist
politicians in the Oregon state legisla-
ture made about as many bad breaks
and grabs at the treasury as any. But
we think Mr.. Dawson is smart enough
man to see that there is needed an
arousing of public sentiment among
the tax xpayers to put their foot on the
principal source of corruption in state
aud county politics-the big money
there is in it now. The tax payer fur
nishes this money. The corporations
do not. The money-lenders do not fur
nish it. Cut off the base of supplies
and the boodler will let up. He will
have nothing to Doodle the state with.
So far as the initiative and referen-
dun is concerned we submit the fol-
lowing: There are fundamental reas-
Switzerland for lessons in economical
self-government. A country only one
half of its area fit for crops or pasture
could not maintain a Republican form
of government that was extravagant
ana expensive. A country not fertile,
but rocky, mountainous, much of 1t
the greater part of the year snow-cov-
cred, would fall under tyranny the
moment it's people allowed themselves
to be taxed beyond the necessities of an
economical government.
10 many respects Oregon is the Swift
xerlsnd of America. Half its territory
is incapable of being reduced to agri-
culture. Yet agriculture must bear the
tax of governing the whole state, If we
assume what is undoubtedly true, that
the products of the soil must pay all
the burdens of the state. The mer-
chant, the railroad company, the bank
er, the manufacturer, and all middle
lnou uuuOubLculy duu luc IhASS Jucy
pay to the expenses of the service they
render or the goods they sell, which is
ultimately paid for out of the products
of the soil. The farmer above all others
Is interested in cheaper government.
How shall we best check "the divis-
ion of society into the harmfully rich
and the wretchedly poor?" How can
we have fewer paupers and fewer mill
llonaires? Is the law making and !
money spending power wisely delega-
ted ? Are these trusts sacredly treated
or abused Can we destroy the Amer |
lean plutocracy or shall 1t destroy our
liberties and make US slaves? Shall
political and social parasitism" disap-
pear? Is law law without the direct
assent of the governed? Does lit not |
follow when that assent is given it will |
be more cheerfully lived up to, the law
will be better enforced and as result |
we will have government with less
friction, far greater economy and less
violation of the statutes?
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