East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-12-26

want to practice business economy
In addition to a desire to put the
governmental business in better run.
ming order, another great ambition
has actuated the actios of Governor
West during the two years he has
been chief executive and is going to
be felt during the session of the leg
islature. This is his determination ia
rout vice from the hell holes 1t has
created in violation Of law; his deter
mination to see that laws are enforc-
ed and that officials do their duty.
The fight the governor has already
made along this line has cost him
much In many ways. and 1t has also
sown many weak spots in the present
laws. The governor will ask the leg
islature to strengthen many of the
criminal laws now on the statute
books and perhaps add few new
ones. He has already prepared O
draft Of a law which. II enacted, Will
give the chief executive power to ap-
point district attorneys, sheriffs and
other peace officers when there Is
need for such appointments to more
readily enforce the laws.
But the main features of the gov
ernor's program will be to put the
business of the state and counties on
a more economical basis. He has
gone through a campaign OF taking
stock and is now ready for the house.
cleaning, for the systematizing of bus
Iness.
one of the first steps in this line
is the proposal to simplify the man
agement of the state institutions by
putting them all under the control OF
one board. At present eight or nine
boards exist for doing business that
economy indicates ough to be done
by a single board. according to the
governor.
Another step is to place all the
charitable institutions which are re-
ceiving state aid under the supervi-
sion of the state board of health, the
amount to be appropriated to each in
stitution to be based on the per capita
of the inmates, or the amount of work
that Is being done for the needy, thus
the present system of con-
tributing state money promiscuousiy
to institutions that make no account
ing to the state.
Holding the theory that log-rolling
In the legislature has cost the tax
payers of the state many hundreds OF
thousands of dollars, the governor Is
seeking to eliminate the possibilities
of this practice at every possible
point. so he has proposed plan for
removing the task of fixing salaries
OF county officials from the legisla-
ture and have them fived on an equit-
able basis according to the area. as
sessed valuation and population Of
the counties. His plan Is to have the
grouped into classes and the
salaries in all counties of similar class
to be the same. Under the present
laws the legislature may fix the sal
ary of any county official at any sum
II sees fit, the amount likely depend
ing upon the amount of political pull
possessed by the county official.
In line with this is the governors
plan to have the support of county
and district fairs placed on a millage
basis, instead of taxing some counties
that do not hold fairs for the support
of fairs in other counties, as Is being
done now. He has proposed tax of
one-twentieth of mill, and the am
cunt thus raised to go into the gen.
eral county road fund IL the county
does not care to spend II for fair.