The 1949 State Legislature
What Were Its Successes? Its Failures?
• • •
A Democrat's View
Senator Richard L. Neuberger
When a Junior College at Portland was proposed to this session
of the Oregon legislature, a majority of the members warned
against haste in such a step. They defeated the Junior College P>ill
and adopted, instead, an interim committee resolution to study the
ouestion for the next two years.
... A Republican s View
Representative Giles L. French
An attempt to divide members of the Oregon legislature into
Republicans and Democrats after election is remindful of the old
Irish saving,. “Let’s choose up sides and fight.”
Seldom is there partisanship in the Oregon legislature. At the
session'just ended there was an attempt made but it was generally,
Result: No Junior
College for a consider
able time.
When a private pow
er c o m \]jx n y sought
from the same legisla
ture permission to con
struct a clam across the
DeschutesRiver,
sportsmen and recrea
tionists urged an inter
im committee to study
the question for two
years, in order that the
state might know the
effect of this dam on
fish runs and scenic val
ues. A majority of the
legislators h r uslie d
aside these objections
and gave the dam an
immediate go-aneau signal.
Result: No protection for the fish runs, but the utility com
pany gets the dam site.
These contrasting attitudes are typical of the 45th session
of the Oregon Legislature, a legislative dominated completely
by the Republican Party; Democrats occupy a mere 21 out of
the 90 seats.
Portland is the only metropolitan area in the West without
a state-supported college; but the young people in Portland re
quiring an education can wait while an interim committee re
ports Of course, no interim committee must be allowed to in
terfere with the plans of the utility company which desires to
ravage the picturesque Deschutes River.
The legislature has flouted the mandate at the polls Novem
ber^ for a $50 old-age pension, although 313.212 Oregon voters
favored this measure. The legislature pleads that it has no
funds. Vet a dividend tax to help support old-age pensions was
buried in the House Taxation Committee atrd never even re
ceived a hearing.
The same legislature which could not keep faith with our
elderly citizens appropriated $106,455 tor just one highway
committee—to square illegal appropriation of that sum made
by the 1947 assembly.
The legislature paid constant lip-service to the Stale Con
stitution. but defeated overwhelmingly a bill to require legis
lative reapportionment by population, as required by that Con
stitution. I'ndcr the present unconstitutional districting of the
legislature, the Republican hinterland counties have far great
er representation than the Democratic cities and towns. It takes
SO,000 voters in Multnomah County to have a State Senator;
onlv 7,000 in the backwoods.
Yet this does not prevent tne oratuis num mem
selves in the sacred folds of the Constitution on February 12
and February 22.
The Republican Party which dominated the 1949 Oregon
Legislature was not the enlightened Republican Party of
\\ avne Morse, Henry Cabot Lodge. Jr.. George D. Aiken and
Hob Lafollette. It was the Republican Party of Pricker. Kent,
W'herrv and other extreme reactionaries.
Oregon has one of the nation's severe housing shortages,
for this state has gained more proportionately in population
since 1940 than any other part of the Union. Federal rent con
trols expire in the summer of 1950. before another legislative
session will convene. Yet the legislature refused to bring to
the lloor a measure providing for standby rent controls after
the U. S. program expires. W hat will this mean in increased
rents to tenants in Portland. Kugene and Salem—to married
students at the University of Oregon who must rent their liv
ing quarters?
The Uemocratic Party in the Oregon Legislature had a rel
ativelv mild liberaFprogram. These were its salient features:
1. Junior Colleges for the state. „
2. Old-age assistance of $50 a month.
(Please turn to page seven)
Editor's Note
Believing our readers should
know about their state govern
ment, we asked two legislators
of widely differing views to
write especially for the Emerald
their views of the 1949 session of
the Oregon State legislature.
Arrangements for the two ar
ticles on this page today were
made by Emerald Feature Editor
Walter Dodd.
The pictures were furnished
by Old Oregon, alumni maga
zine.
3VIR. NEUBERGER
Richard L. Neuberger is a
member of the class of 1935.
While at the University he edit
ed the Emerald. Neuberger has
authored numerous magazine ar
ticles as well as several books.
During the war he was a cap
tain in the army. Neuberger was
elected as a Democrat in the Ore
gon House of Representatives in
1940. In 1948 he was elected to
the State Senate from Multno
mah county, receiving the largest
majority ever obtained by a win
ning candidate. While in office
Neuberger has received wide
publicity and has become quite a
a controversial political figure.
MR. FRENCH
Giles L. French is a member of
the class of 1921. He is editor and
publisher of the Sherman Coun
ty Journal. French has been
president of the Oregon Newspa
per Publishers association in
1940-41, and has held offices in
the association as vice-president
and a member of the board of
directors. French has been elect
ed to the State House of Repre
sentatives from Gilliam, Sher
man, Wheeler and Morrow coun
ties since 1936. He is mayor of
Moro. In the 1948 election he was
reelected without opposition.
French is a member of the Re
publican Central committee and
has been quite active in Repub
lican politics.
OREGON’S CAPITOL
unsuccessful other than
providing excuse for a
speech.
As far as state gov
ernment is concerned
there is no well known
political program for
either party. In fact the
expressed theories i n
national affairs change
' so rapidly that it more
often is a division be
tween the ins and the
outs, with the outs at
tacking and the ins de
fending.
Division as to youth
and age, rural and ur
ban, industry and agri
culture is much more
factual.
1 raditionally Oregon legislators have been men (and wo
men) interested in their state with emphasis on their districts.
That interest is the basis of their voting records and few of
them, and none of the best, will be swayed from their sense of
duty by partisanship. Except in rare circumstances, and in few
matters have political leaders been effective in holding legisla
tors of any party together. The welfare of the state is almost
invariably paramount to the welfare of a political party. It
should be.
The 45th legislative assembly was not a spectacular one
unless it may be called spectacular that it balanced the largest
budget the state has ever had without recourse to new taxes.
Previously raised funds were used to some extent but less
of them were taken that the budget was increased. In these
days of high costs the people of Oregon may be thankful that
their tax levies will not follow the state budget and increase.
That is conservative economics, and good economics.
The legislature put its stamp of approval on an increase in
basic school funds for the state which is designed to make the
state pay approximately one half of the cost of elementary and
secondary education.
Other bills were passed at the behest of the education com
mittee that will make consolidation easier, relieve the transpor
tation difficulties of sparsely settled counties, continue the
training school for veterans at Klamath Falls and establish an
extension university at Portland which is expected to grow in
to a full sized junior college in time.
A veteran bonus was passed by the house and later killed
when veteran’s organizations declared it unsatisfactory al
though they had once given it approval. Veterans were given
more money for education and a larger fund from which to
draw loans.
The highway interim committee had its work approved
which will increase gas costs by one cent and license fees by
$5.00, all the money to be used for highway construction and
maintenance. The interim committee had found a demand for
moie and better highways which was echoed by the legislators.
Labor \\ on additional benefits from both workmen's com
pensation and from unemployment compensation. For the lat
ter the employers will also reap benefits in reduced rates. La
bel is not so much interested in high unemployment benefits,
feeling that steady employment is of much more value.
Game fees were changed, higher of course, for rising costs
of management cannot longer be met by increased number of
hunters and fishermen.
1 neie was little in agricultural legislation except for the
foimation of a potato commission, a new brand law and some
new milk law s. Kai mers successfully fought off a change in the
milk control law although city people made a determined effort
to repeal it.
Many interim committees were approved for tax study, for
educational study, for highway finance study, for Portland
Multnomah county consolidation study, for legislative reform
t Please tuni to page seven)