Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1915-01-04

figures, is 795,5S7. Multnomah
county, then, has a little more than
one-third the population of Oregon
within its borders.
Under the present system-with
a total of ninety members in the leg
islature-Multnoma county should
have thirty senators and representa-
tives. Portland Oregonian.
A bill to redistrict the state for
representation in the legislature
probably will be proposed at the
forthcoming session." according to a
Portland Oregonian story, which thus
gently breaks the news of how the
Multnomah county machine expects
to attain easy control of future legis-
latures. The above quotation from
the same Oregonian story shows what
the machine would like to have.
The single city of Portland now
sends twenty men to the state legis-
lature. 1t has twelve members of
the house and six members of the
senate. In addition, it has the Multi
nomah-Clackamas joint place in the
house and the Multnomah-Clack
Columbia joint place in the senate,
which two members not only repre-
sent Portland but nearly always act
ually live in Portland.
If under the proposed redistricting
the injustice" to Multnomah county
is removed by giving Portland thirty
legislators instead of twenty, or one
third the entire membership of house
and senate, the additional ten will
have to come off the upstate mem
bership.
For example, on the basis of repre-
sentation shown in a table accom-
panying the Oregonian story, four
legislators might have to represent
Jackson, Josephine and Curry, which
now have seven. For here in sub
stance is the deft Portland argument:
eve have 277,1S3 population and
only twenty legislators. This is one
for every 1889 of population.
Jackson county has 27,144 people and
four legislators. This is one for
every 6,7S6 of population. Josephine
has S,7S5 people and two legislators.
This is one for every 1922 of popula-
ton, Curry has 2,62S people and one
legislator, or one for each 2,62S of
population, upon which in its head
line the Oregonian naively comments
Curry represented best"
If Jackson, Josephine and Curry
are brought to the proposed Portland
machine basis of representation, that
of one for each 1859 of population,
their combined populations will give
them four legislators, or exactly the
number Jackson alone now has.
"Multnomah county legislators
point out that Multnomah county is
Disseminated against by the present
districting plan" reads the Oregonian
story.
In 1913 the Portland machine
named the president of the senate.
He was a Portland lawyer. The
Portland machine named the speaker
of the house. He was Portland law
yer. The Portland machine named
the chairman of the senate ways and
means committee. He was Portland
dentist. The Portland machine
named the chairman of the ways and
means committee of the house. He,
too, was a Portlander. And of most
OF the other important senate and
house committees the chairmen were
named by the Portland machine, and
in each case the holder was a Port
lander or an outsider who had been
pulled into the organization.
One of those men has again been
set aside this year to become presi-
dent of the senate, for know, gentle
reader, that the Portland machine is
not overlooking control of the 1915
legislature. For speaker of the house
the Portland delegation has united on
Ben Selling, the Portland clothing
merchant.
Selling's opponent is Allen H.
Eaton, representative from Lane
county since 1907. Mr.. Eaton's plat
form calls for a reduction of 25 per
cent, and more If possible, in the ex-
pense of running the legislative ses-
sion. 1t calls also for a new legisla-
tive procedure that will cripple gang
methods in the future.
The fight between Eaton and Sell
ing has become fight between Port
land and the counties outside of Port
land. The Oregonian steadily main
tains that its candidate, Selling, is
certain of election, and Mr.. Eaton
says 1t has even refused him its col
umns to state his case. Mr.. Eaton
is appealing to the country press and
the country Legislators to stand back
of him. Present chances of election