OREGON. 



Gil 



minal and wharfage facilities within the limits 

 of the city. The Governor declared that it 

 was vesting corporate powers in the company, 

 which could not be done by a special act under 

 the Constitution. The contest was described 

 by the supporters of the bill as an opposition 

 on the part of the citizens of Portland to the 

 interests of the rural population. 



The only temperance legislation was an act 

 to prevent the sale of malt or other intoxicat- 

 ing liquors within four miles of any premises 

 upon which the General Government may be 

 engaged in constructing canals or locks, or 

 works of a similar nature. 



A bill prohibiting the sale of liquors by the 

 glass was lost by a tie-vote in the Senate. The 

 amendment to the Constitution providing that 

 regular sessions of the Legislature shall last 

 sixty days, and special sessions thirty days, arid 

 fixing the per diem of members at four dollars, 

 passed the Legislature a second time, as required, 

 previous to being submitted to the people. A. 

 proposed constitutional amendment granting 

 full rights of suffrage to women passed both 

 branches of the Legislature, and was approved 

 by the Governor. The proposition, which must 

 be concurred in by the next Legislature before 

 presentation to the people, is as follows : 



The elective franchise in this State shall not here- 

 after be prohibited to any citizen on account of sex. 



Notwithstanding the Executive approval of 

 the act, it is thought that the action of the 

 Legislature was invalid, and that the amend- 

 ment must be deferred, on account of an arti- 

 cle in the Constitution providing that, " while 

 an amendment or amendments which shall 

 have been agreed upon by one legislative as- 

 sembly shall be awaiting the action of a legis- 

 lative assembly or the electors, no additional 

 amendment or amendments shall be proposed." 

 The article is loosely expressed, and may have 

 been intended to prevent the alteration of 

 the amendments under consideration ; but the 

 above clause seems subject only to a construc- 

 tion which precludes action on this amendment 

 while another proposition is before the people. 



The following summary shows the trans- 

 actions and condition of the Treasury for the 

 years 1879 and 1880- 



RECEIPTS. 



From four-mill tax in 1878 $184,961 30 



From same in 1879 186,691 24 



Penitentiary, care of private insane, sale of 

 stamps, sale of State property, trial fees, and 

 miscellaneous 28,821 55 



Total . 



From the three -mill tax, levied to meet the 



special indebtedness of the State in 1878 



Inl879.... 



398,974 09 



138,720 99 

 139,268 45 



Total $277,989 44 



EXPENDITURES. 



Current expenses and interest on the bonded 

 debt 



Deficiencies on account of inadequacy of appro- 

 priations 



Interest due on Modoc-war bonds 



$332,753 38 



28.002 97 

 6,200 07 



Total 



Balance September 30, 18SO. 



$366,961 42 

 32,012 67 



There should bo added to the receipts the 

 amount received from the former Treasurer, and 

 the amount collected on account of delinquent 

 taxes prior to 1878, and to the expenses the vari- 

 ous appropriations for purposes other than cur- 

 rent expenses. The latter exceeded the former 

 by $21,970.20, reducing the balance in favor of 

 the State to $10,042.47. The three-mill tax 

 was levied to pay off the debt arising from the 

 excess of disbursements over receipts for sev- 

 eral years prior to 1876, in consequence of a 

 decision made by the Supreme Court in that 

 year, to the effect that the revenue of each year 

 is applicable only to the expenses of the same 

 year. The principal of that accumulated in- 

 debtedness amounted at the close of 1878 to 

 $192,975. The interest on the warrants issued 

 on account of this debt amounts to about $115,- 

 000. The proceeds of the special tax for the 

 two do not therefore entirely extinguish the 

 debt, but leave about $30,000 unliquidated; 

 but the September levy of 1880 is sufficient 

 to pay off this balance and leave about $100,- 

 000 over. The four-mill tax is understood by 

 the Governor to be applicable only to the cur- 

 rent expenses of the State, according to a sec- 

 tion in the Constitution prescribing that u every 

 law imposing a tax shall state distinctly the 

 object of the same, to which only it shall be 

 applied." This requirement has not heretofore 

 been observed. A large portion of the reve- 

 nues for 1879 and 1880 has been appropriated 

 for other objects besides the expenses of the 

 State government proper. 



The bonded indebtedness of the State in- 

 cludes the Soldiers' Bounty bonds, Soldiers' 

 Relief bonds, Modoc-war bonds, and the bond- 

 ed debt arising out of the Indian difficulties of 

 1878. The soldiers' bounty bonds and the sol- 

 diers' relief bonds were issued in 1864, and were 

 to run twenty years. A tax of one mill was 

 provided in each act for the redemption of the 

 bonds issued under it. Respective funds were 

 thereby raised, more than sufficient to pay 

 them off. At the close of the fiscal year 1878, 

 according to the Treasurer's report, there was 

 in the soldiers' bounty fund, $30,496.67, and 

 in the soldiers' relief fund, $27,496.50 ; while 

 the liability upon the former fund was but 

 $26,400, and upon the latter only $761. The 

 money in the former fund was applied to the 

 current expenses of the State by the Legisla- 

 ture in 1878. The Governor remarks that such 

 an appropriation could only be a temporary 

 loan under the Constitution. The Modoc-war 

 debt was contracted in 1874. It amounted to 

 $132,858, and was payable January 1, 1880, 

 with seven per cent, interest. The interest 

 was paid regularly, but no provision had been 

 made for paying off the principal upon matur- 

 ing. It has been thought that the United States 

 ought to pay this debt, but no measures have 

 been taken by Congress for that object. The 

 indebtedness arising from the Indian disturb- 

 ances of 1878 has been funded at seven per 

 cent., and amounts to about $44,000, payable 



