The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-01-14
INAUGURATION CEREMONIES.
(Contnued from First Page)


ON taxation providing for raising rev.
enue form corporations az one Of thes
first rutles which call for your prompt
attention 1hi5 should include a TAX
on inheritance. just and equitable
manner OF raising revenue that mas
been adopted by many states with
safisfactory results Real estate a
form of property that Is always In
sight aud. therefore easily found
by assessors but which Is geneiaily
less productive than many other kiuds
OF property. has long been. and Is now.
The bearer Of the greater share OF our
governmental burdens With a pro
vision Of this nature added 10 our
present laws on assessment and tax
alton there would seem 10 be little
need for radical changes for years TO
come.
The state Lands.
When the state lands OF Oregon
we're first offered for sale no one hut
an actual settler could become a pur-
chaser The law Of 1864 provided that
those already claimed by settlers
should be sold for s1.25 an acre. and
those which we're vacant. and yet 70
be designated as state lands. should
be sold for s. an acre. In 1868 II had
become evident that II was not al
ways possible 10 give a deed 10 state
lands that would stand the test OF
gubsequent Investigation and chang
ing conditions and the legislature OF
that year authorized the stlte land
board TO audit aud adjust claims
which may be supported by satisiac'
tory evidence whore land has been
sold az school or university lands.
which had not been nor could not be
selected as either. but which had been
bought and paid for under a misapprc-
henBlOn of its condition" This pro
vision has been rrenactcd and added
20 many times since, and is the law
az present
In 1873 the law was again amended
requiring the board 10 sell all state
lands. agricultural college lands at
$3.50 an acre. aud an o,her kinds at
So per acre. allowing 32O acres TO
actual settlers and 100 acres to per.
sons not settlers. II was by this act
of 1873 that the policy OF selling our
lands 10 those not 9sttlers was first
adopted.
The land laws were again amended
In 1887 requiring the land board toI
sell an s,atc lands. excepting agri.
cultural college lands at sl.25 an acre.
This law provides that wncn an ap-
pllcant desired % purchase lieu lands
be should himself supply the de-
hcioncy or base and when TIM selec.
tion should be- accepted by the regis
Ter of the proper land Office the state
should Issue a certificate of sale. or
deed. as the case might bo. There
being mo- law tO the contrary this Gus.
tom Of Issuing deeds has been since
followed I'm all caa IS whore the se-
ledlion aficrward proved Invalid. re-
payment was made. as now, to the
purchaser
By the act OF 1895 lieu lands were
Withdrawn from sale for two years.
and III price raised 90 not less than
s2hO an acre. In 1899 the law was
again amended authorizing the state
land board to sell an state lands. cN.
ccptlng lieu lands. at Sl.25 an acre.
ana the price of agricultural college
lands was reduced To- Sl.2l an acre
u viii thus be- seen that while az
frat the object was to dispose of state
lands to actual settlers. ths policy
was long ago abandoned. and the
principal object NJ the law for years
has been To stimulate the sales of an
onr lands az the prices indicated and
20 convert them into money for the
state school fund Settlement or
occupancy "a nowhere required by
our present land laws, and as a result
az throwing our public domain wide
open to purchasers who may n'ycr
intend coming to the state, the salcs
have certainty met the expectation of
those who have fam "a them
II required mo- gift of prophecy to
forcace that when the people of the
entire Onib'd States were asked tn