The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1913-01-17
THE GOVERNOR
| BIENNIAL MESSAGE
NO DEFICIENCY IN ANY STATE
DEPARTMENT FUND.
West Sees Improvement In
Conditions and Advocates
Law Enforcement.

to the Oregon Legislature:
The States Finances.
The states finances are in a splen-
did condition. We have no debta,
bonded or otherwise, to worry us and
there are ample funds on hand to meet
all current expenses Unexpended ap-
propriations and accumulated receipts
from license fees and other sources
in excess of a million dollars will be
available for expenditure during the
ensuing year and make Necessary a
state tax levy Of but $1,000, 900 as
against $S,O00,000 last year.
A Single Board of Control
All state penal and eleemosynary
institutions should be placed under a
single board of control and to avoid
creating new officials and expenses
the said board should consist of the
governor, secretary of state and state
treasurer. The state purchasing board
should he merged with this hoard. By
this arrangement the management Of
our state institutions can be greatly
simpliiied and the cost reduced.
The Soldiers Home.
| The Soldiers Home appears to be
receiving fair treatment at the hands
of the legislature and offers many COM
forts to those old patriots who through
wounds, misfortune or old age have
been obliged to throw. themselves up
on the meroies of the state. The
commandant is not asking a single
dollar for bettorment.
Insane Hospital.
/ The overcrowded conditions which
have prevailed at the Oregon State
Insane Asylum at Salem during the
past few years have Teen relieved to
a certain extent by the occupancy of
the new receiving hospital and will
be further relieved by the transfer
within the next few days of a large
numb ber of patients Of the new hos
pi.al at Pendleton. This transfer
would have been made upon the first
| OF the year had it not been for an un-
fortunate delay in supplying certain
| hardware needed for ths final COM
| pletion of the institution.
The Penitentiary.
Regarding the penitentiary, the
governor says that under his new
plan this institution has earned in
cash, and in labor furnished the state
but not paid for, $70,570.76, or
about half the cost Of maintenance of
the institution. The governor be-
lieves that the prison can be made
self.supporting
Good Roads.
We still need good roads legislation.
The people indicated through their
votes at the last election that they
weIe opposed to any but conservative
action along these lines. We have
made some headway during the past
two years, and the way is open for
further progress.
Law Enforcement
The governor is admonished by the
constitution to take care that the laws
be faithfully executed, but neither
the constitution nor the statutes give
him adequate authority to execute
this command. 1t is true that he may
call the militia to his aid in the exc
cution of the laws, tut this is an ex-
traoIdinary power which it should be
necessary to exercise only upon grave
and extraordinary occasions. The
governor should not be forced to use
the artillery Of the state to bonn bard
hnotleggers'or pursue blind pigs.
Our liquor laws should be strength
ened as follows:
Shipments Of liquor of any kind in
to dry territory, except under certain
restrictions, should he prohibited.
The sale of near beer should te pro
hibited in dry counties.
No lisense for the sale Of liquor
should be- issued to anyone doing bus
mess outside Of an Incorporated city
or t1wn.
nAoOnn nhOdAu 10 hcpL ClOs6u Duu-
days, and on week days between the
hours of say II o'clock at night and
seven O'Clock la the morning.
No saloon should be permitted in
or about railroad stations.
All saloons should have open or
glass fronts; all chairs and card tables
should Ee prohibited.
Saloons should not be permitted to
cash checks.
Illegal sale Of liquor By druggists
should work forfeiture of license to
do business.
The several measures recommended
by tie Portland Vice Commission
should be given state wide application
and stringent laws as to the sale OF
cocsine. morphine and similar drugs
should be enacted; also laws which
will better enable us to ahate nui-
sances through injunction proceed
iBgs.
The Oregon System.
oregon's system CT popular govern
ment, having successfully withstood
the attacks OF its enemies, is here TO