The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1893-01-14
THE OREGON coNsTI7 UrIoN.

Permitted to Judge the future of the
Oregon assembly by the first four days,
there is some prospect that measures
may be adopted to secure needed amed-
ments to our fosilized state constitution.
A man of finance who is informed rela-
tive to the conditions existing between
Oregon and the now state of Washington,
will say that it is like passing out of
darkness into the full light of day to
GROSS the Columbia anywhere from As
toria to Wallula, there is such a vast
difference between the two on account of
the circumscribed laws of Oregon as
compared with the more liberal statutes
Of Washington. There are other than
financial reasons for wishing change
in the constitution of Oregon, but the
financial reasons will serve the purpose
of the present illustration.
The document provides that no county
in the state shall incur an Indebtedness
exceeding in amount the debt of the
county at the time of the adoption of
the constitution and five thousand dol
lars additional. Nearly every county in
the state has violated this constitutional
provision, and some of them, notably
jackson, Josephine and Klamath, have
violently violated it, jackson county
being now perhaps $3.50, 900 beyond the
constitutional limit. This debt consists
of outstanding, protested county war
rants, drawing interest at the rate of
eight per cent. per annum. Knowing
the provisions of the constitution, the
people have kept on piling up the debt
in these counties by issuing script to be
protested, instead of curtailing expendi-
tures or increasing the rate of taxation.
Knowing the provisions of the constitu-
tion, the people of the several counties
have accepted their county's scrip at 100
scents on the dollar for their services as
jurors and witnesses and public servants;
have sold and bought it at from 85 cents
to 98 cents on the dollar, and have pro-
ceeded in the matter very much, if not
entirely, as they would have done had
the constitution of the state expressly
permitted what it expressly forbids.
The debt in many counties has be-
some grievous burden, and an effort
will be made to tighten it by having the
legislature pass an act enabling the
counties to fund the debt at a lower rate
of interest than is now paid upon it.
The leaders in this effort will endeavor
to pass general act, taking in all the
counties, and in event of failing in this
will endeavor to have certain counties
relieved by special acts. The object
sought is one which must be approved
by everyone. but whether state con-
stitution can be retired by the legiela-
tuEe even in enactments which repre-
sent objects OF unanimous approval is
an interesting and practical question
that must finally come to practical test
upon financial basis, if it pass the leg
islative challenge. People in the county
do not seem to be afraid of county scrip,
but whether outside capital could be in
duced to invest in county bonds bearing
five or six per cent interest is the real
question, for in the counties which most
need relief from the debt burden there
lie no likelihood of local capital going
into five or six per cent bonds at this
time. 1t is very doubtful whether out
side capital would buy county bonds in
Oregon with the constitution standing
as it does.
1t must be admitted that very many
unconstitutional laws have been passed
in Oregon and other states, and it might
not hurt anything to poke another act
through the same rent in the venerable
fundamental act which the big county
debts have already torn, and then let
the matter go to the money exchange for
settlement; but the surest way to pro-
ceed is to begin regular amendment of
the constitution. This is slow, but four
years viii soon pass by, and when they
have passed We shall be able to make
use of the new constitutional provision,
for the debts will still remain with US.