Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1911-08-25
MORE REFORMS 1N SIGHT.

If the people of Oregon imagined
that the coming election which will
be held in the fall Of 1912, would
prove a quiet affair, let them be al
once undeceived. The Oregon City
lawmaker is out with an announce
ment that there is plenty in store for
the voters. His latest idea out
U'Rens his former efforts and en-
braces so wide range Of subjects
that there is scarcely time enough be-
tween now and the opening of the
polls for the people to thoroughly ac-
quaint themselves with the PROPOSE
tions Included in his proposals are
a number which the voters Of Oregon
have heretofore placed on the shelf,
but the law bill factory at Oregon
City doesn't stop over small and in
consequential matter of that kind. If
the people kill off a proposition at one
election, the plan is to clothe it in
different language and feed it to them
again, and repeat until, in some form
or other, it is finally woven into the
state laws.
The poor, old constitution, already
sagging with its load of reckless, tur-
bulent and useless legislation, is to be
still further assailed, according to
U'Ren, and so badly shot to pieces, if
his scheme be successful, that its
trainers wouldn't recognize the docu-
ment in hundred years. Among the
changes proposed, is the doing away
with the elective state officers and the
making of the state government large
ly an executive one, by providing that
the officers shall be appointed by the
governor, in the same manner as the
President selects his cabinet. U'Ren
proposes to invoke the initiative on
his plan and, in connection with this
state cabinet scheme, is a dozen or
more other changes, all Of which are
written into what he calls Zone
amendment" to the constitution.
A complete change in the law now
governing the selection Of the state
Legislature is proposed, along the
same lines as that which the people
defeated at the last election. 1t pro-
vides for radical change in the ap-
portiOnment provides for annual ses-
sions of the lawmaking body, the re-
strictive use of the emergency clause
and the veto power and the election
of the Speaker Of the House and the
President of the Senate outside of
the members of those houses. The
amendment also seeks to restrict the
duration of corporate franchises and
provides against legislative log
rolling.
U'Ren carefully gives all credit for
the proposed amendment to the "Peo-
pie s League, which is his business
title, and declares that the "league"
will have but "one measure for the
next election, and this will be the
amendment.
The people of Oregon are TO be
congratulated that the "league" will |
limit its labors. Even at that, the
amendment" is so varied in its sub
.scts and so wide and far-reaching in
its scope, that the average mortal will
have a mighty difficult time in ferret
ing out its ramifcations, and fully
determining, through the mass of le-
gal verbiage, just what the framer is
driving at.
Why should the people of the state
be called upon to face this tangle,
and weary themselves by wading
through a mass of proposed changes
in the manner of state government
Things are doing pretty well as they
are. and what drawbacks exist may
be attributed to this Oregon City law
factory. Why must the people at Z
each succeeding election again defeat
questions which they have before de-
elared by their votes, they didn't
wantl Why is it possible for one
man TO stir up so much agitation and Z
compel the people to foot the bill3 4
Il 5 bad enough to have to spend half {
our time in studying new plans
brought forth by the fertile brain of {
U'Ren, but TO have the questions {
that We have often defeated cram v
med down our throats under a differ e
snt disguise, is too much.
Laws which will permit such whole n
,ale Juggling with the voters Of any n
tate should be repealed. As a noted b
.itizen of this republic remarked the b
,iher day-''let Us have a closed sea- &
on on legislation. And let rs have q
{ in Oregon as quickly as possible. g