Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-06-01
OPEN FORUM
i y X u X X y u * 4 Il Il y y
THE SIX MILLION
DOLLAR BOND ISSUE

Editor Joulnal:~-I am in favor of
good roads just as soon as we can get
them on practiel plan and without
unnecessarily burdening our people with
debt But | am not in favor of the
present proposed plan, of voting a six
million dollar Indebtedness on the peo-
pie in the hope of getting good roads
for the following reasons:
First: The so-aalled "good roads "
| legislation as whole, is unjust, inn
practical anti-republican, anti-demo-
cratic, reactionary and autocratic Now,
for nearly two decades the good people
of Oregon have been striving to bring
their government closer to the people,
to make it more directly responsible to
the people and consequently more re-
sponsive to the will of the people.
| Now, a law, already enacted by the
last legislative assembly, and as part
of the plan, creates state highway
commission and clothes it with very
great and very extraordinary powers.
Yet, it is not elected, nor to be elected,
by the legal voters of the state. 1t is
not to be responsible to the people; nor
tti II bt ltttAiiNu W lut ltbHiN. btNstuSb
appointive officers are not subject to
recall by the people Appointed by the
governor this commission is responsible
only to the governor, and can be recall
ed, or removed only by the governor.
Though the members Of this commits
sion may prove to be manifestly inc0m-
petent, or be guilty of malfeasanee in
office, they are placed beyond the pow
er of the people of the state to correct
or recall. They are thus clothed with
irresponsible power.
The highway engineer is removed still
one degree further from the people. He
is appointed by the highway commits
sion, and is responsible only to them,
and removable only by them, To get
rid of the highway engineer, the peo-
pie must first get rid Of the highway
commission. To get rid of the commits
sion, the people must, first of all. recall
the governor and elect another. This
we could not do under two years. In
the meantime, the commission may sell
the bonds of the state to the amount of
millions of dollars, and which our chill,
dren and our children's children must
pay twenty years hence, and, under this
commission, these three autoerats, are
clothed by law with the power to sell
the services, the labor power-the very
Bodies of little white children - yes.
your children, and your grandchildren,
% years before they are born. What
for3 The vague promise of good roads,
probably to be worn out before the time
Of payment. Fatherl Motherl after the
facts are made plain to you, II you wish
10 sell yourselves, do SOL But, in the
name Of humaity and justice, don t sell
your children, unless, under the most
absolute necessity, such as the preserva,
tion of the republic
Secondly; We already have a state
engineer, who has so justly won the con
fidence of the voters, that he was al
most unanimously reelected by them.
Being nm elective officer, he is subject
to recall by the voters who elected him.
He is known to be of such sterling quail
tiles that he can be neither bought, bull
lied nor bluffed. But he is not btu
lithie, nor does he belong to any patent
paving trust He is not a plant tool,
or favorite of the patent paving COM
panies, which DR.. Chapman says have
Tor 20 many years been robbing the