Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-10-18
VOTE ALL THESE down
THREE VICIOUS MEASURES
WHICH SHOULD BE KILLED.
People Owe 1t To Themselves to Care
fully Read These Measures
Before Voting.

Every voter in oregon should read
the official pamphlet of the secretary
of state containing the various initia-
tive and referendum measures, and
the arguments pro and con. Under the
dual system of lawmaking in vogue in
this state, every man is his own legisla-
tor and as such, should appreciate his
personal responsibility when he goes
into the polling booth on election day,
In about three weeks time the electors
of this state will be called upon to ap-
prove or reject thirty-two measures
Some of the bills which are to be pass
ed upon at the November election are
worthy of the support of all good cit
izens, but others should be rejected by
a decisive vote. In the latter class are
three measures proposed by so-called
Peoples Progressive Government
League.
One of these measures proposes to
create board of Peoples inspectors
of Government and provides for the
publication of an Official Gazette every
ninety days. 1t is estimated that the
passage of this bill will not only create
a lot of useless jobs for scheming poll
ticians, but will saddle an additional
burden of not less than $150,000 per
year onto the taxpayers. This proposi-
tion should be rejected in the interests
of economy. There are already too
many useless boards, commissions,
clerkships, ETC., and it is not high time
for a policy of multiplication of fat
salaried jobs and useless publications.
1t is rather high time for an opposite
policy.
Another of these so-called reform
measures provides for the election of
delegates to national Republican and
Democratic conventions by the direct
primary method and payment of their
expenses out of the public treasury.
This means an additional burden of
several thousand dollars upon the
shoulders of the taxpayers. This bill
proposes to change, the date of the
primary election from September to
April during presidential election
years, leaving the primaries in
September on alternate years. This
date of the primary election from
September to April during presidential
election years, leaving the primaries
in September on alternate years. This
would be an unbusinesslike arrange
ment, and would confuse our entire
code of election laws. resulting in
great inconvenience to the secretary of
state, county clerks and other officials.
Besides this, the proposed arrange
ment would, during presidential cleo
ton years, keep the state in the throes
of a political campaign from early
proved that campaigns should be as
brief as possible, for the reason that
too much politics disturbs business.
The most vicious Of all the proposed
measures is No. 360-361 which pro-
vides for system of proportional rep
with a statewide vote for
all members of the Legislatures; in
creases the compensation of members,
and calls for annual sessions. The
adoption Of this measure will add from
$75, 900 to 100000 per year to the
already heavy burden of long-suffer-
ing taxpaying public; will deny the
smaller counties their just representa-
tion in the legislature, and will destroy
the rule of the majority-the basic
principle Of American politics and gov
ernment. An able argument against
this scheme of quack statesmanship is
found on pages 197-199 OF the official
and we earnestly recon-
mend 1t to the consideration Of the
public, with the advice that the meas
lre be voted down.-Salem States
nan