Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-02-19
LIKES THE IorRNAL.

LINES 1hE Jul ma
MCCOY, Or, Feb. IA.
Ed. JoURNAL:-I have always
thought well Of The JOURNAL. 1 like
It better than eyer now. When | can
take up public newspaper, and read
after q man who is not afraid to pub
lish facts as they exist. and who has
the backbone to expose theft and ras-
cality IN high as well as low places,
such a man is-goOd enough for me.
n. GARDNER.
THE ONE CENT DAILY.
JACKSONVILLE Feb. Is.
ED. JoURNAL:--I sent a dollar bill
to you for your valuable little daily
paper. K. Z. BROOKS.
THE COURT HOUSE RING.
ED. JOURNAL Willard cor
respondent speaks of court house ring,
With Democratic clerk, Republican
she riff, Populist judge, and two Re.
publican commissioners, we fail to see
where the ring exists. 1t is certain
the last jury was drawn without the
presence of the sheriff, although by law
and custom his attendance had former
ly been required when the jury was
drawn. If there was any dictatiOn
from a ring in making up that jury list
we would like to know where it exists.
ENQUIRER.
GOVERNMENT EXPENSES.
EDITOR JoURNAL.-A comparison oi
the expenses of the Salem school dis.
trict for the current year and that of
the government of Oregon for 1860, re-
veals the astonishing fact that the ex-
pense of our school district is now
almost equal to that of the state govern
ment in 1850.
1t would be interesting to know the
gradations by which our city expenses
have crept up from levies of 2! mills
per annum in former years with all
street work and no debt To 10 mills, no
street Improvement and ever increas.
ing debt. STATISTICS.
CRITICIsEs FORD.
ED. JOURNAL: This is decidedly q
time for measures and methods. When
an aspirant for an important position
presents himself before the people, we
first ask for his measures and of his
method.
In this light l purpose to examine
what Mr.. Ford proposes to give us as
viewed through his Portland speech.
Mr.. Ford seems to have awakened tC
the fact that the people Will have some.
thing more than tariff reform, and has
discovered that free pass is about the
the worst thing there is. At the first
glance it looks as if to cancel the pass
would but put more money in the
pockets of the corporations. But the
pass is like special attentions and fiat
terry, that is often used as an indirect
bribe. The free pass should be abol,
ished. Does Mr.. Ford know a more
direct way than for the people to own
the railroad? 1t is narrow platform
that censures only what everybody
condemns. Mr.. Ford also discovered
that owing to POrtland's enormous
population they are furnishing an en-
viable share of the representatives. We
can not depopu.ate the place, or dis
franchise their voters. Can MIR. Ford
suggest a surer way to scatter theil
forces than to adopt the initiative and
referendum A noble device, thai
seems to have found no Judgement in
the heart of Mr.. Ford. This would
also be fire brand in the "lOg rolling
Mr.. Ford complains of. And then his
confession that, "roo much power
breeds eVil.n Wouldn't the initiative
knock the "power." The great evil
the people suffer from railroad corpOr
tions Mr.. Ford valves by declaring
the people haven't money to buy them,
and they can't rus so many hands
(suggestive of still continuing corpora
ton commissioners } While of the op
pressive measures, that have been en-
acted 10 enhance the power Of gold
gold bonds, In fact all notes aud credits
while correspondingly decreasing the
value OF labor aud labor products. Mr.
Ford observes an omiuous silence. In
fact Mr.. Ford falls To reach the bottom.
X o.