East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1914-01-26

trips are 10 De nade. lnciudeu
. In this information are the best =
= roads to follow. hotels where .
= best accommodation can be =
. had. the average price of gaso- =
. line in different sections. and
. the location of sundry shops
q along the routes, where repairs .
= can be made.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
ganized vice ~ now and shah be I'M
til the last gun is fired in this CAM
paign. the principal point on which Il
expect to go before the people.
Spending TOO Much.
II am of the opinion that the state
has been outrunning itself in the mat
ter of appropriations The last leg
islature expended s6,6O0.0o0. When
| was in the Legislature of 1908 wei
fought to keep the appropriations be-
low $1,000. 600. The assessed values of
the state at that time were $120,s00.-
900. The assessment was about on a
25 per cent basis. making the actual
values $4S0,000,000. Now our as
sessment on a 100 per cent basis is but
s954.OOO. 900, while the appropriations
of our last legislature were 5000, 900.
The wealth of the state has, in the
ten years only doubled while the state
appropriations have been multiplied
three times.
1T is estimated that the average
community in this state will pay tax
es for 1914 equalling 2 l-2 per cent
of its assessed value. This seems to
me to be more than we can stand. and
the strictest economy along all lines
would be my policy II elected COVER
nor
"Other figures on this question are
startling. The total value of all pro-
ductions i'm ag: iculture, horticulture
and forestry for 1914 has been esti-
mated at s1sO.OO0. 900; the total of all
taxes for this year. $24.000,0O0 One
half OF these crop values will be ex-
pended in production and marketing,
leaving net of $50. 900, 900 actually
derived by the producers To take
S24. 900. 900 out Of this $50 600 for
! the years taxes is to take 80 per cent
of the states net revenue from the
soil
jefferson in his first inaugural ad-
dress made the point that high taxes
! were always to be condemned because
| in the end. they bore down on the
producer. This truth is startingly
| demonstrated by these figures.
Waste Is blamed.
Much of our high cost of govern
ment comes from waste rather than
graft With a view of eliminating
and inaugurating system. 1 would ap-
ply to the fullest extent the law OF
1919. providing for prescribing of an
uniform system of accounts for state
ard county officials. through the pub
lication of annual reports. as to the
| fiscal affairs of the several counties,
keep the taxpayers fully advised In
this direction. While our penal and
eleemosynary institutions should be
maintained upon high plane. every
mintenance cost. through good busi'
ness management.
Provision should be made. givins
the governog power of veto oyer any
single item in an appropriation bill
The custom has been In the past to
slip through many bad items in the
closing hours of a legislature under
cover OF general appropriation bill
81 believe some blanket scheme oi
adjustment of county salaries could
be devised. which would take these
county salry bills out of the legisla.
ture. They furnish too much oppor'
tunity for trading and log-rolling.
"Convicts should be brought to the
prison by prison employees in the
same manner now employed for the
transportation of the insane, and q
saving thereby worked
wherever useless offices. board!
and commissions exist, believe the,
. should be abolished in the interest o.
taxpayers.
"In this country we have paid too
little attention to the farmer. have
been farmer myself and l know thu
difficulties the ordinary farmer has. II
financing his improvements.
Farmer Is Overlooked.
+ Every preference has been giveI
by the banking interests to the com
mercial men in discrimination agains
the farmer. For years the European
A countries have recognized the neces
J sity of giving attention to the ques
i ton of rural credits. but In this coun
try we have gone on without turning
!, hand to help the farmer. Now tn
= Wilson administ ation is making tn
a question Of rural credits one OF II
y chief constructive efforts. and tn
c states should begin giving similar at
), tention to the question. 1t is likel
r that some system of organization ca
:. he worked around our state banks
g whereby money can be brought fror
3 the financial centers for use In tn
purchase and development Of farr
lands at much lower rates of intere.
s than are now exacted.
IT There Is really no reason In tn
J. world why the railroads and industri'
h concerns should be able to get none
e for four per cent. and the farmer /
l. compelled to pay eight per cent. an
a even 10 per cent. The farmers q
" curity IL gilt edged. and II seems tn
le discrimination against him. has on
II been made because he has heretofo'
d, had no friends at court
ir while It Is true that the proble
y. of the unemployed Ia more or less