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About The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip. (Portland, Or.) 1923-1927 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1926)
May 1926 THE UNITED AMERICAN THE COMMONWEALTH OF OREGON. (Continued from Page Nine) the power to veto single items in appropriation bills. It has long been a practice in legislative bodies for its members to embody in bills appropriating money for very necessary purposes, clauses providing that state funds shall be used for some purpose of which most of the members do not approve. Such clauses often merely provide jobs for party workers or bring about the spending of some of the state money in counties where politicians are seeking to build up a personal following. This appropriation brings money into the county and gives work to many and the legis lator who claims the credit for getting it will stand a better chance of re-election or of election to some better office. Yet other legislators, although they know that the appropriation is not a wise use of state money, cannot vote against this clause in the bill with out defeating the entire bill which is, in large part, very necessary. Money appropriated for political pur poses is often called “pork.” To do away with “pork” appropriations, the governor of Oregon is allowed to veto single items in appropriation bills and is thus made responsible for the proper use or waste of pub lic money. How important it is that brave, strong men, men who are able to stand against political pres sure, be chosen for the office! There is also a department of the state govern ment called the administrative department. The chief officers are the secretary of state, Sam Kozer, and the state treasurer, Thomas B. Kay. Like the governor these officers serve four year terms and are allowed to hold their offices only two terms in any period of twelve years. The secretary of state keeps the record of the acts of the legislative and executive depart ments, audits the public accounts, and is responsible for stamping the seal of the state upon all state offi cial documents. The treasurer is the custodian of all state funds. Other state administrative officers pro vided for by law rather than by the Constitution are the attorney general, who is the legal adviser of state officials and the legal protector of the state’s interests, Page Thirteen and the superintendent of the public instruction, who is the head of the public schools. I. H. Van Winkle is attorney general; J. A. Churchill state superin tendent. There are also many other administrative officers who are responsible for a great variety of duties. These are such as the labor commissioner,the land com missioner, the adjutant general, the state fire mar shal, the highway commissioners, etc. All have duties which are of great importance to the people of the state. There are about forty of these officers, some of whom are appointed by the governor, others elected by the people. Upon their faithful and efficient per formance of their duties depends in large degree the effectiveness of Oregon’s state government. In my next letter, I shall write of our judiciary system. WE THANK THEE By Ralph Waldo Emerson For flowers that bloom about our feet; For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet; For song of bird, and hum of bee; For all things fair we hear or see, Father in heaven, we thank Thee! For blue of stream and blue of sky; For pleasant shade of branches high; For fragrant air and cooling breeze; For beauty of the blooming trees, Father in heaven, we Thank Thee! STRIVING FOR BETTER THINGS By Frank O. Lowden, in the Christian Herald. I F THE spirit of the Bible were to enter and to hold the hearts of men for a single day, a divine restfulness would succeed the unrest which now menaces civilization. In the presence of eternal verities strife and discord dis appear. Without faith in the fatherhood of God, the brother hood of man is an idle dream. Humanity is about to enter upon the fairest, brightest day it has ever known, or to lose the gains which it, with infinite pains, has made during the Christian centuries which have come and gone. Which it shall be will depend largely upon whether we place our dependence upon the God of our fathers or upon the ma terialism which now seeks to rule all things. RE-ELECT CRUMPACKER “THE OREGONIAN” of April 29th says editorially: “In the third district Mr. Crumpacker has shown in his first term a marked adaptability to the work of representative and has been active and successful in the promotion and the protection of the interests of his district. The Oregonian sees no reason why he should not be re-nominated and re-elected.” “THE PORTLAND NEWS” of April 27th says editorially: . . “You see, Crumpacker works, even when he is playing. He has introduced 26 bills and seven of them have passed. Five more will likely pass this session. Seven have received unfavorable reports from depart ments and will not pass.” “COLLIER’S WEEKLY” says of him: ‘It usually takes four or five years, for anyone to know that a new congressman has arrived in Washing ton. “Stub” Crumpacker arrived in Washington the first Monday in December and is already the boon companion of the men who run the house.” Mr. Crumpacker is a member of the important Rivers and Harbors Committee where he can and .will protect Portland’s interests in the Longview bridge controversy. Service men know that in him they have a friend in Washington who can and will work for their in terests. Mr. Crumpacker’s was . the most potent in fluence in getting a veterans hospital for Portland. He was the co-author of the Oregon soldier’s bonus law. CRUMPACKER IS GIVING GOOD SERVICE. KEEP HIM IN CONGRESS Vote 21 X Crumpacker Republican for Congress Paid Adv.
