Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-01-30

lent import, for district legally Gre
ated from a designated part of the
state and organized to promote the
convenience of the public at large is
municipal corporation
A county is municipal or quasi
municipal corporation comprising the
inhabitants within its boundaries, and
formed for the purpose of exercising
the powers and discharging the duties
of local government, and the admins
tratlon Of public affairs conferred
upon II by law. Words and Phrases,
Vol. 2, 1856; II Cyc. S42 A county
is not, in a strict sense, a municipal
corporation. In a certain sense 1t
comes within the rules and principles
OF law applicable to such corporations.
Words and Phrases, Vol. 2, 1856. Judge
Dillon, in his work on Municipal Cor
porations, Vol. Is ed) on page 25,
says: "In general, all Of our American
cities, towns and counties are public
corporations, full or quasi. They are
created by the Legislature, and are In
vested with power to decide and con-
troll local and subordinate matters per-
tanning to their respective localities" ="
In Straw V. Harris, 81 Or. 437, we
find this language: municipalities are
but mere departments or agencies Of
the state, charged with the perform
ance of duties for and on It's behalf,
and subject always to It's control" See
also Words and Phrases, 1922. On page
i9i OF the same opinion (Straw v. Har-
rsy Mr.. Justice King speaking for the
court says "To begin, let 1t be remem-
bered that municipal corporations of
the class under consideration do not
come within those designated as coun-
ties, cities or towns, and that 1t was
intended that municipalities other than
those enumerated might be created, is
lobylous from the language used in
section nine Of the same article
namely: No county, city, town OF
other municipal corporation, etc The
clause other municipal corporation
clearly implies and indicates that the
trainers understood and recognized
that there may be corporations other
than those enumerated, Of which W.
have school districts, irrigation dis
tricts, road districts, drainage dis
trlcts, and ports, ="
In Simon v, Northup, % Or. 4S7
case constituting the legislative enact
ment requiring Multnomah county /,
pay the bonds OF the city of Portland
we quote from the brief Of the learned
counsel, at page 492, as follows. 9TH,
legislative assembly cannot transie
from one municipality (city OF Port
land) to another (Multnomah county
an idebtedness already resting on tn,
former and make It an obligation o
the latter
. In Cook v, The Port OF Portland. Q
/ Or $50 5S5, Mr., Justice Bean quote
: with approval from the case OF Curr
= v. The Dist Twp, Of Sioux City, 6
la. iO4, as follows; "The word mu
} nlcipal, as originally used In Its strict
ness, applied to cities only; but IN
word now has a much more extcnde
meaning, aud when applied to corpor
! ations the words political. munlcipa
and public are used interchangeably.
A county is public corporation
clossed with cities. towns and village.
! and Invested with subordinate legis
latlve powers to be exercised for loca
!, purposes connected with the publl
good and subject to the control OF tn
/ state, 9 Kent '275.
: In constituting written constitutio
D the object is to give effect to th
Intent OF the people Ia adopting 1
In the case Of all written laws, It
the intent Of the law giver that Is I
be enforced, But this intent Is to b
: found in the instrument itself It
) to be presumed that language has bee
, employed with sufficient precision /
: convey Il. and unless examination d,