OREGON 893 



Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Oregon) held that the effect of the adoption of initiative and 

 referendum on the republican form of government guaranteed by the constitution was a 

 political question to be determined by Congress. 



A law proposed by initiative and approved by the people on November 8, 1910 requires 

 presidential preference primaries; the state pays the necessary expenses up to $200 of dele- 

 gates to national party conventions. The legislature appointed a committee for the revision 

 of the registration and election law. An act requires rotation on ballots of the names of 

 candidates for the same office. A committee of seven was appointed by the governor to pro- 

 pose and recommend a revision of the judicial system and of state court practices. Judges 

 must decide within three months upon any question submitted to them, unless sickness or 

 unavoidable casualty prevent. In civil cases three-fourths of a jury may render a verdict. 



The legislature created a state purchasing board (governor, secretary of state and state 

 treasurer) to purchase supplies for state institutions, as far as practicable, from lowest bidders; 

 a state printing board (composed of the same officers) to supervise a state printer to be elected 

 first in 1914; and a state board of fish and game commissioners. The taking of any lobsters 

 in the state before January I, 1916 was prohibited; appropriations were made for several 

 salmon hatcheries; and "wild bird and game refuges" were created. 



Railways must not work their employees for more than 14 consecutive hours, after which 

 the employees are to have 10 hours off. Train. despatchers in day offices are not to work more 

 than 9 out of 24 hours. In an emergency an employee may work 4 hours above this schedule 

 in any 24 but not more than 3 days a week. No child under 14 may work in a factory, work- 

 shop, mercantile establishment, restaurant, hotel, office, etc., or at all during the term of the 

 public schools and no child under 16 to is work in telegraph, telephone or public messenger 

 service; the certificate law for child labour is made more severe. Acts prohibiting boycotting 

 and picketing in strikes and the use of parks or public places for speech-making without the 

 mayor's written permit were referred to the people in November 1912 and were defeated. 

 An amendment making 8 hours a day 's work on state or municipal contracts and requiring 

 contractors to give bonds against filing claims or liens on buildings was adopted. 



An act empowering the railroad commission to regulate all public utilities was referred, on 

 petition, to the people and was adopted in November 1912, 65,985 to 40,956 votes. A law 

 proposed by initiative petition and approved by the people on November 8, 1910 requires, 

 for the protection of workmen, that materials be inspected, that safety rails be used in con- 

 struction and that there be a system of signals and that all supports bearing live wires be 

 specially coloured. The law declares that there is no statutory limit of damages for its viola- 

 tion. Railways are forbidden to give rebates. 



No saloon is to be located and no liquor is to be sold within 6 miles of public construction 

 work (state or Federal), unless in an incorporated city. The licence tax for the sale of liquor 

 was set at $400 a year $200 for the sale of malt liquors only. The use of intoxicating 

 liquors was forbidden in engines, cars, trains and railway stations of common carriers. After 

 June 15, 1912 it is illegal to sell or explode a fire-cracker larger than 2% in. X fin. 



The legislature created' a state board of examination and registration of graduate nurses; 

 the law permits registered nurses to add after their name " R. N. " and forbids the use of these 

 initials by any other person. For protection against bubonic plague, cholera and other 

 menacing Asiatic diseases 5,000 was appropriated. White slave traffic was made a felony, 

 punishable by a fine of $100 to $10,000, one to ten years in the penitentiary, or both. 



The legislature passed two laws requiring uniform insurance policies against accidents and 

 disease, and against fire; a law for the control of fraternal benefit associations and one increas- 

 ing the powers of the state insurance commissioner. 



Ports with more than 100,000 inhabitants (i. e., Portland) are to be governed by seven 

 commissioners appointed by the governor with a four year term, instead of the regular city 

 government. 



The I2th of October (Columbus Day) was made a legal holiday. The legislature provided 

 for the appointment of trustees to preserve the home of Dr. John McLoughlin in Oregon City 

 (this was done in 1912) and authorised the erection in the national statuary hall in the 

 Capitol in Washington of a statue of George Henry Williams (1823-1910), United States 

 senator from Oregon in 1865-71 and attorney-general in President Grant's cabinet (1872-75). 



Finance. The situation in regard to taxes from November 1910 to November 1912 was 

 an impasse. In 1910 two amendments submitted by the legislature, repealing the uniform 

 tax requirement on all property and permitting the legislature to classify property for taxation 

 or to exempt it, were defeated at the polls; and a third constitutional amendment, submitted 

 by initiative petition, was adopted. This provided that no poll tax should be imposed, that 

 no statute of the legislature in regard to taxation should be in effect until the people had 

 ratified it at a general election, and that the people of the several counties be empowered to 

 regulate taxes within the counties subject to any general law passed thereafter. As there 

 were no enabling acts to carry out county option in taxation, which had been thus approved 

 by the people, and as the legislature (under the amendment just adopted) could pass no tax 

 legislation to be effective until it was approved by the people at the next general election in 

 1912, three new amendments were submitted by the legislature to the people at this general 

 election two practically the same as those that were defeated in 1910 and the third practical- 



