Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-05-19
DIGEST OF MEASURES TO Be VOTED0N'IiII If mr.

For the information Of the voters oI
the state. the following Drief digest Of
all proposals 20 he submitted Ia IA,
electorate nj the special election OF
June 4, has been prepared. Effort ha,
been made 10 state the real purporl
aud result of each proposal without
bias and solely for the information and
possible guidance of the voter in de
Gliding the attitude he desires to as
sumo at the polls.
Constitutional amendment. referred
bv the 1917 legislature first on tn,
state ballot, entitled Authorizing
ports to create limited indebtedness Ia
encourage water transportation. -
This proposes to amend section Q of
article I'll Of the state constitution in
such manner that the people of any
regularly created port district NAV. bv
a direct affirmative vote on a specific
question, raise funds, by direct tax or
otherwise, not to exceed one per cent
of the assessed valuation of all taxable
within the district to he OK.
pended as n bonus to aid in the estab
lishment of water commerce between
that port and both foreign and domes.
tie ports.
The constitution at present provides
that no municipal corporation, by a
direct vote of the people or otherwise,
can raise money for, or loan It's credit
10, any joint company. corporation or
association whatever. The amendment
makes an exception to this rule hv
giving the people of a port district the
power, by an affirmative maiority vote
of all persons voting on a proposal, to
authorize a direct tax or bond issue
within the limits noted above, for the
purposes mentioned.
The voters who believe that the peo.'
pie of port district should have the
to tax themselves in such
manner and for such purpose should
vote . 300 \ Yes +; those who oppose
granting snch authority should note
30l X No
A proposed law, referred by the 1917
second ON the state ballot
"A Bill for Taxation of Ore.
son 4 California Land Grant
This is the so-called Bean bill. - II
asserts, in effect, and contrary to the
express provisions of the act of con
gress known as the Chamberlain Ferris
let recently declared valid by the SUI
)reme court of the United States, that
.he Southern Pacific railroad company
owns the 100000 acres of the Oregon
< California land grant in fee simple
md declares, on the ground of this ls.
'ertion, that the state of Oregon pos.
'esses the sovereign right to tax these
ands. 1t directs the county assessors
If the Is land grant counties TO place
he grant lands on the assessment rolls
and levy taxes against them. notwith-
standing the fact that congress, in
he Chamberlain-F Ferris act, revested
ltle in the United States thus making
he lands again government lands, and |
untaxable by the state
The voters who believe that the state |
hould enact a statute in conflict with
federal statute should vote "3002 X |
Yes - Those who do not believe the /
tate should attempt so to do should
'ote ''303 X No. {"
A constitutional amendment. sub /
nltted by the legislature, third on the
'allot, entitled :" Limiting Number of
tills introduced and Increasing Pay
f Legislators
This measure proposes to amend see
ions Is and 20 of article " of the
AT the present time n
enator or representative is not limited
S to the number of bills he may in
roduce.
Members of both houses are paid s3
er day, with the limitation that the
er diem shall not exceed $l20 for any
egular session, which has the effect
t practically limiting the regular ses-
ions to 40 days
The proposed amendment would limit
aeh member to the introduction Of
our bills at session, while senate
are limited to the intro.
uctlon of a total Of 80 and house com.
llttees to total Of go bills. This
ould limit the number of bills at anvil
esslon to 4j0, exclusive of appropria-
on bills. The amendment also raises