Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-01-31


the annexation made to the Newport
school district not being contiguous
territory, the facts are as follows: The
annexed territory Joined the original
Newport district along the whole
length of the east side (two miles)
and was therefore contiguous, aecard-
ing to the school law. There is a piece
of territory enclosed on three sides by
the present Newport district, known
as district No. SS, but having only one
child Of school age living in the dis
trict, and not having had any school
in the district for two years, all of the
other owners of property in the dis
trict having children OF school age
live in Newport and send their chill
dren to the Newport school. This ter
ritory of this district No. 3S, all of
which is being cared for, SO far as
schools are concerned by the Newport
district, and which pays no school tax,
on account Of not having to support a
school, lies in one place for a short
distance so near another district on
the east Of the Newport as to make a
narrow piece in the Newport district
and the existence of this narrow place
caused in this way is what the Home
steader" calls iniquitous and illegal.
AS to the four mills of Toledo road
tax. The Toledo road district, No. s,
is endeavoring to make hard sur
faced wagon road Of easy grade sever
al miles in length in the direction of
the "Homesteader's' claim, being from
Toledo up Depot Slough to join like
road from Siletz.
The two and one-half mills of Tole-
do port tax is for the improvement of
Yaquina bay, which will benefit own
ers of timber claims more than any
other class of people in the county, as
the value Of such claims depends up
on transportation facilities.
The II mills of state and county tax
Is a necessity in country increasing
In population, where a corresponding
Increase in public expenditures be-
come necessary. 1t is the growth of
population in Oregon and the whole
country that makes the Homestead
er's" claim worth fifteen thousand dol
lars now, compared to nothing only
few years ago, All of the Homestead
er's" talk about Newport gang and Sc
cret meetings to lay inlquitous plans
to rob him, etc, is only talk There is
nothing whatever to 1t. Other people
have taxes to pay and livings to make,
and they are more concerned about
their own problems than to spend
their time as he infers No one in Lin
coin county, or any other place, has
had any better opportunities, or has
been less oppressed by taxation than
the Slletz homesteaders. There Is no
harvest reaped off Of them in taxes
all taxes are for the public good and
benefit all of us. We are living in
great country, and we are trying to
make 1t greater by having good
schools, good roads, good ports also,
where we have fine timber, like the
"Homesteader," and want to see II
shipped through the great Panama ca
nal to better market than we ever
had before, and some one has to do
these things, and It takes money, and
so we have to have taxes. We are In
great luck here in Lincoln county to
have a good port and plenty of tim
ber in the Siletz basin to ship, but II
would not do us any good il we did
not have public-spirited, energetic cit
liens to see that we are ready for the
new conditions that will soon be upon
us. II. ,,MINTHoRN,
Newport, Ore.
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