Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-02-01

lubLduCeg ny Lne lulAldtlfV IA" VhaSS-
ed by the people at the general cleo
tlon in November, 1910, there is lev
led an annual tax of one-twenty-fifth
Of mill on the dollar upon all the
taxable property within the state for
the support and maintenance Of the
school at Monmouth. Again,
by Sec. 1881 L. o. L. the county
courts Of the several counties Of the
state are authorized and directed to
levy, in addition to the taxes now
authorized TO be levied by law, a
tax not exceeding one-tenth and not
less than one-thirtieth Of one mill
upon the taxable property in their
respective counties TO create fund
for the relief Of INDECENT soldiers,
sailors and marines. There are fixed
annual appropriations for the sup
port OF the state university and the
State Agricultural college. There
are also fixed salaries for the public
officers Of the state, and many other
items might be mentioned showing
the necessity for the state to ar
range for its reverqe by taxation,
uniform in It's character, throughout
the state. Without attempting to
diiferentiate between county taxation
and taxation for state purposes, the
bill proposed Is to exempt from tax
alton, without any distinction, all
personal and everything else except
land and public corporation fran
chlses and rights Of way. II the
purpose Of this bill is carried out,
the uniformity OF taxation will be
destroyed, When the slate, with its
taxing power, approaches the county
Of Clackamas, 1t will find there ex-
empted from the taxing authority Of
the state large proportion Of prop
erty that is not exempted in other
counties. 1t will concede the power
to Clackamas county alone to under
mine the state government and de
stroy its supremacy by depriving 1t
OF the means of carrying on the
state government II will restore in
a more vicious form the old regime
when, for the purpose of avoiding as
much as possible of state taxes,
county assessors and boards of
We'd with the other in
listing property at values ridiculous
ly less than Its real worth. Against
this possible disintegration Of the
state, the people have wisely inter-
posed the accompanying condition,
that the power of the common peo-
pie OF the several counties to regu-
late taxation and exemption within
the several counties, the clause
upon which the petitioner here re-
lies announces but a mere principle,
procedure provided for its
execution.
That Sec, | (a) Of Article TX, read
alone Is not self-executing
without further legislation OF the
subject is practically conceded by
he petitioner The trend of his ar
sument is that his right to have the
bill presented to the people depends
upon Sec, (W OF Article ~, re-
serving to the legal voters Of every
municipality and district Of this state
he Initiative and referendum power
rs to all local, specal and municipal
legislation of every character in or
'or their respective municipalities
md districts. He argues at great
ength and with great skill and
luotes many definitions to show that
he terms municipality and district
n Sec. (al Of Article ~ necessar-
ly include counties Sec. 1851 l.. o.
.o which has beer the law OF the
errltory and state Since 1854 reads
hus' Each county shall continue
o be a body polite and corporate
or the following purposes, to-wlt:
o sue and be sued, to purchase and
lold for the use OF the county lands
ylng within It's own limits and any
PERSONAL estate; to make all neces-
AIRY contracts, and to do all other
Necessary acts in relation to the
property and concerns OF the coun-
" For present purposes this def
lition is OF more authority than |
hose Of publielsts and lexlcograph-
RS The people must have had In
mind this delimltptlon of the pow |
'rs of a county when they enacted
Sec, / la) OF Article IY. BY the
erms OF the statutory definition and |
" the long continued construction
4 the word county no legislative |
uthorlty was impaired to such an ,
organization The term county as
pplied to political division Of the
tate for the purPNees described in
Zee. 1861 l. o. L, was so well un-
erstood by the people that II they |
IA lnAnna.l