634 



OREGON. 



ernor, Zenas F. Moody, Republican ; Secreta- 

 ry of State, R. P. Earhart; Treasurer, Edward 

 Hirsch ; Superintendent of Public Instruction, 

 E. B. McElroy. Judiciary, Supreme Court: 

 Chief -Justice, Edward B. Watson, succeeded 

 by Associate-Justice JohnB. Waldo; Associate 

 Justices, W. P. Lord and W. W. Thayer. 



General Condition. In his message to the Le- 

 gislature of 1855, the Governor uses this lan- 

 guage relative to the growth of the State : 



Her agricultural products, her mild climate, her 

 great natural resources, invite the immigrant, the capi- 

 talist, and the pleasure-seeker, while the sound basis 

 upon which rest her finances, and the fact that within 

 two years her taxable property has increased more 

 than ten millions of dollars, clearly indicate that the 

 State, in the face of a general business depression 

 throughout the land, is in no danger of deterioration 

 or decay. The Constitution was" adopted at a time 

 when the population of the State was less than 50,- 

 000, at a time when its wants and its resources were 

 comparatively unknown. The small State Peniten- 

 tiary then located at Portland was almost the only 

 State institution, the agricultural products of ou'r 

 State were hardly sufficient for home consumption, 

 and came almost exclusively from the west side of the 

 Cascade range of mountains. We did not realize that 

 we possessed, undeveloped, such elements of great- 

 ness. During the years that have since intervened, 

 extraordinary progress has been made. Our popula- 

 tion now numbers a quarter of a million. Our State 

 institutions have developed in strength and useful- 

 ness. That portion of the State aptly termed the 

 "Inland Empire" has been found to possess equal 

 resources and possibilities, and now contributes an 

 equal share toward the various revenues of the State. 

 Ber development is not yet complete, but, with the 

 early construction of the locks at the Cascades and 

 The Dalles, the commerce of a continent will traverse 

 all her thoroughfares. Our common-school facilities, 

 with an irreducible school fund, ample to give every 

 child in the State a common education, several colleges 

 and institutions of learning that are self-sustaining, 

 a State University, an Agricultural College aided by 

 lands donated for its institution and support, and 

 many important industries, including agriculture, lum- 

 ber, our fisheries, etc., which have made the name of 

 Oregon famous throughout the world, all attest the 

 advance that has been made by our State during her 

 existence of a quarter of a century. 



finances. The receipts for the period begin- 

 ning Sept. 1, 1882, and ending Dec. 31, 1884, 

 are as follow : 



Four-mill tax of 1882 $255.374 43 



Four-mill tax of 1883 301,227 80 



Penitentiary earnings 26,05536 



Delinquent taxes 6,054 24 



Private insane 5,363 71 



Idaho insane 4.705 72 



Sale of stamps 9,657 97 



Saleofbooks 593 80 



Miscellaneous 43,655 85 



Making a total of. 



Adding to this amount the sum of $122,- 

 608.36, which stood in the treasury on Aug. 

 31, 1882, to the credit of the general fund, we 

 have the sum of $775,302.24, against which is 

 to be charged the amount of the general ap- 

 propriation made by the last Legislative As- 

 sembly, which leaves a balance to the credit of 

 the general fund at the end of the fiscal year 

 just closed of about $300,000, an excess of 

 $175,000 over any surplus to the credit of the 



general fund ever heretofore* reported to any 

 Legislative Assembly of the State. 



The assessed value of property is $78,000,000, 

 while its real value is believed to be at least 

 $150,000,000. 



The indebtedness of the State, aside from 

 deficiencies that have accrued during the past 

 two years, is provided for from other sources 

 outside of the general fund. 



The general bonded indebtedness has been 

 largely diminished during the past two years, 

 and for a large part of that still outstanding 

 there are funds on hand in the treasury. This 

 indebtedness includes the Umatilla Indian war 

 debt, the bonded debt created by the act ap- 

 proved Oct. 25, 1880, to complete the payment 

 of the Modoc war bonds, the soldiers' bounty 

 bonds, and the soldiers 1 relief bonds. In pur- 

 suance of the authority conferred by this act, 

 the Treasurer sold one hundred and twenty 

 bonds of the State of Oregon, each being for 

 the sum of $500. From the proceeds of the 

 sale of these bonds and from the surplus accru- 

 ing from the three-mill tax, funds were pro- 

 vided for paying off all of the Modoc war bonds, 

 and those bonds have all been paid except 

 about $300 which have never been presented. 

 The new bonds issued under the provisions ot 

 the act of Oct. 25, 1880, were made payable 

 on or before the first day of January, 1890, at 

 the option of the State. From the proceeds 

 of the half-mill tax provided for in said act, 

 the Umatilla Indian war bonds have all been 

 paid, with the exception of $733.08 which have 

 not been presented. From the remaining pro- 

 ceeds of said half-mill tax, thirty bonds of the 

 new issue have been paid, leaving ninety bonds 

 unpaid, representing an indebtedness upon this 

 account of $45,000, together with accrued in- 

 terest. On account of the Modoc war indebt- 

 edness there has been refunded to the State of 

 Oregon, by the General Government, $70,000. 

 On the soldiers' relief bonds there remains 

 unpaid but $761.10, and money to meet this 

 amount is in the treasury. Of the soldiers' boun- 

 ty bonds there are still outstanding one hundred 

 and fifty-nine of the denomination of $50 each. 

 This constitutes the general bonded indebted- 

 ness of the State, and money for the immediate 

 or proximate payment of it is now available. 



An act was passed by the Legislative Assem- 

 bly Oct. 21, 1870, providing for the issuance of 

 bonds to aid in the construction of a canal and 

 locks at Oregon City. 



Of the swamp-land warrants there is yet 

 outstanding the amount of $87,547.36 with ac- 

 crued interest. As these are payable only out 

 of the proceeds of the sales of sw r amp-lands, 

 their redemption has been necessarily slow. 



State Lands. The 90,000 acres of land grant- 

 ed for the State Agricultural College, and the 

 seventy-two sections set apart for the State 

 University, have been selected and secured in 

 full to the State. The proceeds of the sales of 

 these lands, and of the lands set apart^for^the 

 support of common schools, are bringing in a 



