The Weston leader. [volume] (Weston, Umatilla County, Or.) 189?-1946, 1916-03-17
IRRIGATION AND CREDITS
CONFERENCE ENDS At SALEM

amendments indorssd BY the conven.
tIon. which closed here Saturday,
shall be submitted 10 The people.
Meanwhile two committees will
work In conjunction with the attorney
general on the drafts Of this proposed
measures that are 10 place the pro
posed amendments In operation.
II O majority Of the committeeman
determines that their work should be
reviewed by the whole conference be-
fore Il goes before the people, the con
ference viii be called together again.
When the meeting adjourned ma
jority Of the delegates seemed TO ex-
pect q future meeting.
Since the convention now has deter
mined that Il wants two separate
measures lone providing . system Of
rural credits and the other providing
state aid for irrigation and drainage
the committees have their work def
nitsly outlined for them, and the rest
Of the delegates are hopeful that har.
m0ny at future meeting viii replace
the friction that. was 80 apparent In
the sessions Of the last few days. car
rylng both issues TO Sueecsaful con-
clusion at the polls.
The convention. 50 far as carrying
out the purposes for which Il was
called together. virtually concluded it's
work Friday night. BY remaining In
session until O'Clock In the morning
the resolutions expressing the policy
Of the conference finally were adopted
The session was devoted to the de-
tail Of creating two committees that
shall have charge Of the preliminary
legislative work. 1t also was intended
as sort Of g harmony meeting. but
there was harmony only In the seem
ing attempt Of both factions TO drift
farther apart.
So the belief is pretty general that,
after an interim Of few months, the
delegates win have had time to forget
their minor differences and that they
will be ready to unite in their deter
mination 10 conduct an aggressive and
cooperative effort to enact the pro-
posed amendments into law.
Summarized, the work of the con-
vention Is about as follows:
An amendment 10 the constitution
enabling the state 70 lend its credit 10
q rural credits system was proposed.
An amendment TO the constitution
enabling the state 10 use Its credit for
irrigation and drainage was proposed.
The bonds to be cold under either or
both of these plans are not 70 exceed
In the aggregate Q per cent Of the
assessed valuation Of the state.
A committee consisting Of ]. d.
Brown, president of the Farmers
Union; C. Z. Spence, master Of the
State Grange, and T. H. Burchard,
president Of the State Federation Of
Labor, was appointed to work with the
attorney general in drafting the pro-
posed constitutional amendment for
tho rural credits plan.
A. L. Mills, chairman Of the conven-
tion, was authorized to appoint COM
mittee Of three members one drain
age man and two irrigation men--to
work with the attorney general In
drafting the proposed constitutional
amendment for state aid to irrigation
and drainage.
The committees also viii have pow
er to draft the proposed initiative
measures that viii carry the proposed
amendments into effect, and to call
another convention If necessary.
$50 far as possible" the committees
are authorized to cooperate.
The convention closed as il had pro
ceeded from the start--divided de-
on one issue, that of linking |
rural credits with state aid.
The delegates from the State
Grange. the Farmers Union. the Ag-
ricultural College, the State Univer-
sity and many from Western Oregon |
we're firmly united in their determine
tion not to permit the state aid plan
30 be linked with the rural credits
plan. They were proponents Of rural
credits but did not want to "swallow"
irrigation in order to get it.
They were championed on the floor
of the convention by Thomas B. Kay,
state treasurer, and at some stages of
The voting had the delegates from the
State Federation of Labor with them.
They had an abundance of oratorical
.alent besides the state treasurer, not
ably Judge w. M. Colvig, preresent-
ing the Southern Pacific; Senator S.
N. Garland. of Lebanon; w. H. H.
Dufur, Of the Grange; A. R.Shumway,
II the Farmers Union; E. ]. Stack,
II the Labor Federation, and others.
Governor Withycombe voted with
hem when he was in the house.
On the other hand, the irrigationists
md most of the drainage people, to-
yether with large proportion of the
Portland delegation, stuck together in
support Of the plan to combine the
;hree issues.
This division was plain throughout
he meetings. One break came when
Mr. Stack. of the Labor Federation.
oined with Asa B. Thomson, Oswald
West and w. Lair Thompson in sign
ng the original majority report of the
committee providing for
of the three measures.
Mr.. Stack explained that he did this
o permit this plan to come before the
on its merits. On subse-
,uent ballots he voted with the faction
the separation OF issues.
When the mornings meeting tried
0 Organise committee to draft the
roposed legislation. Senator ]. N.
lay. G. C. Chapman and others OF
hcss who had supported the omnibus
Ian rroposed single committee "in