Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-03-22
THE FARMER
ABOUT BOND MEASURE
Many Speakers at CONNER
Cial Club---An Agree Its
Up To the Farmer

The farmer surely is a lucky dog
these troublesome times. Not only is
pork on foot selling at thirteen and a
half cents a pound, but other farm
products are keeping pace. And right
on top of all this good luck, comes the
advocates of the $6,000,000 road bond
issue and preaching the doctrine of
'educate the farmer" In fact, those
who are back of the proposed big bond
issue to be voted ON June 4, confess
that the fate of the bill is in the hands
of the farmer. Hence, educate the far
mer and above all, tell him that Port
land will not get any of the six mil
| lions.
The monthly meeting of the Salem
Commercial club was held last even
ing, the special order of business being
discussion of the proposed issuance
of bonds for good roads, Prominent
men were present from many of the
surrounding towns and took part in the
discussion. Almost all of the speakers
were i'll favor of the issue but there
was an under current that it was not
Salem or Portland that would decide
| the fate of the bill, but the rural dis.
tricts.
Autos Will Pay It
+. j. Adams of Eugene, member
of the state highway commission, set
forth the advantages of the proposed
bill and also told how much money the
state would get from the government
from the Shackelford fund and the
forest fund. He figured it out that the
automobile licenses alone for the next
half dozen years would not only pay
| the interest on the bonds but would
eventually pay the principal and then
leave surplus of $7,000,000 In other
words, according to the figures of Mr..
Adams, it would not cost the land hold
er dollar if the bill was passed. He
figured 100000 mile would do the
work and that about 500 miles of hard
surface highway would be constructed.
If the main highways were of hard
surface, he thought te county courts
would have more money to spend on the
side roads, although he said nothing
about the cost to the counties Of the
grading of the roads before the fund
| for the hard surfacing could be used.
81 firmly believe that no man on the
highway commission will be owned by
the paving trust,'' he said Another
point he made was that each county
would be treated according to its needs
and if the bids for paving in any coun-
ty were not satisfactory, the county
could call for bids
Seymour Jones For It.
Seymour Jones, representative from
Marion county explained why he voted
at first against the proposed bond bill
and why now he was supporting it. He
said he did not like certain people who
were backing the bill and that anyhow,
they did not get what they wanted. 1t
was the intention to push it through
with an emergency clause whereby the
people would not get a chance to vote
on the bill. But the bill was all right
now from his point of view and he in
tended to vote for it.
Walter Denton was like the man who
came to scoff and remained to pray
Mr.. Denton had his doubts about who
was backing the bill, but after he had
heard Mr. Adams tell about it, he felt
a change of heart and henceforth
would support the bill.
La Toilette Against
Senator La Toilette opposed bond
ing bill of any kind and didn t see any
good in this one. He said Oregon was
bonded one fifth more than any state
and that with a present per capita tax
of $7l, the highest of any state, the
bonding bill would add 81 to the bur
den, per capita. He said his farm was
now taxed about four times as high as
it was a few years ago, and that he
had some property in Salem that would
not sell for the amount it was listed on
the assessors books.
John H. Albert explained that there
was lot of difference between per
capita tax and ad valorem tax and
that the question was not how much
per head did the people pay on taxes.
but how much on every 800 assess
ment In this way Mr.. Albert figured
that Oregon stood Doth in the amount
of its taxation.
S. f. Callister of Silverton favored
the bond issue and wanted Mr.. Adams
to come out and do a little preaching.
H. L. Moore of Woodburn felt the same
way about it. Mr.. Keateh of Stayton
was booster for the bonds and felt
confident Stayton would line up big
majority.
Mr. Huekestein announced that his
friends from Mt Angel could not at
tend the meeting on account of the bad
roads, but that the word was that Mt.
Angel would support the bill.
Better Show Farmers
Mr.. Miller of jefferson said the far
mers down his way did not understand
the bin and that some one had better
come down and tell them about it. E..
B. Barber of Portland, who says he