East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1914-10-28
CLACKAMAS AND
OREGON CITY HIT
BY EMPTY TILLS
DRY" Regime Followed by Query
as to Receiver
CITY WARRANTS UNSALEABLE
City Council Calls Election November 9
to Raise Levy s Mills to Pay Debts

W AtoAoN ANNg " AAAAo ~
Oregon City and Clack-
amas County, of which Ore
gOn City is the county seat,
present as lamentable a
condition in a BUSH n e s $
sense as a defunct corpora
tiOn about to 20 into the
hands Of a receiver. In
fact, a receivership for Ore
gOn City already has been
seriously discussed by GER.
tain of its creditors, and
Judge Campbell of that city
has declared his willingness
to declare such a receiver
ship, if formal application
were made to him, as he
would for "any bankrupt
corporation"
A special election has
been called by the city for
November 9 Ito relieve the
financial condition of the
city," the purpose being to
vote $250,000 5 per cent
bonds and to increase the
tax levy eight mills in or
der to take care of the new
Indebtedness.
On the part of Clackamas
County the County Treasurer is
confronted with an empty treas
ury for the first time in six years
The Morning Enterprise, a radi
cal prohibitionist daily of Ore
gon City, in explaining this sit
uation. says "the condition is con-
sidered the result Of the amount
of delinquent taxes on the
county's tax rolls. County Treas
urer Tufts refused the first war
rants on the general fund Mon
day October u, 1910"
Business must be "fine" in a city
and a county when the treasures of
both are empty because Of lack of
money coming into their strong boxes
with special election called by the
city TO increase its tax levy, with re
eeivership threatened and with "dan'
ger" signs strung along the length Of
the business portion Of Main street by
"order of the City Council" which
read:
danger - Main Street Declared
Dangerous-All persons travelling on
Main street between North side of
Moss street and South side of Third
street DO so at their own risk
Banks are refusing to cash Oregon
City municipal warrants. Since Janu.
airy first the city has issued S39,99l.05
in these warrants, according to the re-
port of City Recorder John W. LOder,
and these warrants are still unpaid.
The city tax levy in 1918 in Oregon
City was eight mills. Two weeks af-
ter the city went dry the council in
creased this levy 20 10 mills for 1914,
and on November 9 there is TO be a
special elction held at which the voters
will be asked to sanction an additional
levy of eight mills TO meet the munici-
pal Indebtedness. Yet Cuisines is
fine in dry towns" and Oregon City
is doing we'll.
Vacant buildings now stand on Main
street. the chief business thoroughfare
of Oregon City, as monuments 70 the
memory Of one garage, one clothing
store, one restaurant and one livery
barn now closed up, but formerly did
good business, Fourteen vacant stores
line both sides Of Main street, and
three vacant lots mark the places
where three other stores formerly
stood, but which have burned down.
So little has been the demand for buSi
ness property that the burned strue
lures were never rebuilt. But "busi
ness is fine in Oregon City"
The Enterprise printing office,
which formerly employed large force
Of printers and bookbiuders. and often
worked night and day 20 fiji orders, is
now operating its job department. crew
but five days a week, yet The Morning
Enterprise is one Of the papers that
has, sOprinted the Committee of One
matter about Cuisines is
fine in dry towns"