Senator Lowry Outlines Reasons for Senate
Deadlock; Gives Reasoning by Both Sides
(Editor'i note: The follow
ing article dealing with the
Oregon legislature is by State
Sen. Philip B. Lowry. Med
iord. It is the first of a series
of articles by members of the
legislature from Jackson coun
ty. All three members, includ
ing Representatives Bob Dun
can and Al Littrell. have been
invited to use the columns of
the Mail Tribune from time to
time to report on the legisla
ture, and to contact their con
stituents.) By SEN. PHILIP LOWRY
Salem The Oregon State Sen
ate, evenly divided between 15
Democrats and 15 Republicans,
completed the most rigorous
week in its history without
achieving the election of a Pres
ident or the appointment of com
mittees. As of Monday afternoon
on the 128th roll call, all 30
votes being cast for Democrats
for this high office, which fur
nishes the successor to the gov
ernorship in the event of a va
cancy. Notwithstanding this, the
deadlock has not yet been
broken. The Republicans have
offered to allow the Democrats
to make whatever division of
committes they see fit.
It is to be hoped the spirited
battle has left no mark of dis
harmony between parties or in
dividual members, and I think
that such is the case. Tempers
have been held well in check
despite long, wearying hours of
negotiations, caucusing and meet
ing on the Senate floor. A roll
call takes approximately one
minute, and the procedure has
been to take a few roll calls, re
cess, negotiate and return for a
continuation of the process.
Roughly, the entire proceedings
have been reminiscent of those
of the truce teams at P&nmun-
jon, Korea.
Committees Named
Both parties designated nego
tiating committees to seek a solu
tion of the division 'of committee
assignments, thinking this would
provide the key to the selection
of a president. The bipartisan
committee started work in the
belief that committee assign
ments should be equally divided
between the two parties, but it
soon became apparent to the ne
gotiating committee, of which I
was a member, that "equality of
committee assignments" had al
most as many meanings as . we
have members in the Senate.
The Senate has 20 standing
committees to consider bills af
fecting all fields of legislation.
These committees differ greatly
in importance. Some may be rel
atively unimportant in one ses
sion and have tremendous power
in another session, depending
upon the nature of current legis
lation. Generally speaking, how
ever, the taxation committee and
the ways and means committee
(appropriations) are considered
first in rank ,as they control the
method of raising revenue and
expenditures. It was agreed at
the outset that the Democrats
should have majority control of
both of these committees so that
success or failure in this respect
would follow the Democratic
party. All revenue bills must
originate in the House of Repre
sentatives, and it would there
fore be impossible for the Senate
Taxation Committee to devise a
revenue program.
Seek Policy Voice
As we started negotiations, the
bipartisan committee was aware
that all House committees, were
chairmaned and controlled by
Democrats, and it was the belief
of a majority of the members of
the bipartisan committee that
the Republicans should be as
signed control of certain Senate
committees which would give
them a voice in polcy-making de
cisions and create a committee
balance which would result in
bipartisan support for any sound
program.
.Wftiaaei
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Suffice to say that the biparti
san negotiating committee be
came a puppet for the divergent
elements and was never em
powered by both parties to reach
a conclusion which would be
binding without the ratification
of all concerned. For this reason,
its efforts were destined to fail
despite the fact that the com
mittee itself was able to agree.
Heart of Legislature
To those not thoroughly fa
miliar with the Legislature, it is
necessary to understand that the
committee process is the heart
of the Legislature. All bills must
be referred to some committee
and once there the committee,
for all practical purposes, has
the power of life or death with
respect to any bill. Theoretically,
a two-thirds vote of the entire
Senate can take a bill away from
a committee where it has been
assigned by the President. This
is extrmely rare and has never
been accomplished within my
legislative experience.
Likeswise. it is necessary to
understand that the presiding of
ficer assigns all bills introduced
to committee. This is a tremen
dous power as a bill may relate
to several different legislative
fields and can logically go to
any one of a number of commit
tees. Actually, the President may
assign a bill to any committee,
regardless of its contents, and the
only check on this is the integ
rity of the presiding officer. The
presiding officer may use one of
the standing committees for a
dumping or burial ground for
bills he disfavors, and set up
another committee for bills
which he wishes to expedite. To
accomplish this, the presiding
officer designates members of
some committee which will be in
complete harmony with his
views. In the past, there has been
little abuse of this tremendous
power.
Reason for Controversy
We, therefore, have a situation
where by reason of the commit
tee process a majority of the
Senate may favor a bill but be
unable to get it to the floor for
a vote. This committee process
has in ' reality been the reason
for the controversy on commit
tee division and the selection of
a president. Members of both
parties appear to be distrustful
that the other will abuse the al
ready exaggerated powers of the
committees.
An easy solution of the prob
lem, which I greatly favor,
would be to amend the rules to
allow a bill to be taken away
from committee on a simple ma
jority vote of the entire Senate.
This would put an end to par
liamentary finagling, and allow
the majority to govern. The only
disadvantage of such a rule,
which has now been adopted by
the House of Representatives,
would be that some bad legisla
tion might sail through under
the pressure of a strong lobby.
Other Solutions
The present deadlock suggests
the possibility of its recurrence.
This could be prevented by mak
ing constitutional provision for
a Lieutenant Governor or an in
crease or a decrease in the Sen
ate membership by one. The lat
ter method may be preferable
because no one as yet has indi
cated willingness to pay a suffi
cient salary to attract a Lieuten
ant Governor of competence or
assign him any duties other than
presiding over the Senate. If a
Lieutenant Governor is con
ferred with executive power it
creates friction-with the Gover
nor, particularly if they are of
different political parties.
One of the ironies of this dead
lock is the clear fact that neith
er party has members of uni
form political beliel Both the
Republicans and the Democrats
have "liberals," "conservatives."
and "middle-of-the-roaders." The
r h if r??
negotiating committee recogniz
ed this by attempting to suggest
personnel for certain committees
which would achieve balance in
this regard. My great hope is
that the "moderates" of both
parties will control their respec
tive groups to insure a stable,
progressive and nonpartisan
course of legislation which is
based upon sound policy rather
than emotional appeal.
Many Proposals
To date there have been pro
posals which are a lure for
everybody except the taxpayer,
and I am beginning to wonder
who is going to represent that
long suffering citizen at this ses
sion. It remains to be determined
which faction of what party will
assume control of the Senate,
and it will be a tremendous loss
for Oregon if strict party discip
line in either party causes par
tisanship on Oregon problems
which are fundamentally non
partisan. In any event, it is to be hoped
that all 30 members in the Sen
ate will act as Oregonians rather
than politicians. .
The debate this week has
been sharp but not acrimonious.
The time loss has not been sig
nificant because little is ordinar
ily accomplished under normal
conditions during the first cou
ple of weeks as we are waiting
for bills to be introduced.
Disturbs Members
One thing which disturbed
many members of the legislature
was rumor, perhaps sent up as
a trial balloon, that H. G. Maison
was to be removed as superin
tendent of the Oregon State Po
lice. I personally shared this
feeling because this fine admin
istrator of ability and integrity
has continued to build our Ore
gon State Police with the objec
tive of good law enforcement
with no politics involved. Mr.
Maison was for a time my Regi
mental Commander in the 63rd
Infantry in the Southwest Paci
fic during World War II, and 1
came to know his excellent qual
ifications for his present posi
tion. Previous Republican ideas
some years ago along this same
line met with the same reaction
the Oregon State Police must
not be subject to political influ
ence or domination. We all know
that we have an outstanding
State Police' staff in southern
$100,000 Reward
Posted for Slayer
Of Chicago Boys
Chicago (U.R) A S100.000 re
ward has been offered for the
slayer of three Chicago boys in
a bid by a group of wealthy men
to "buy" the solution to that and
other major crimes around the
nation.
The Chicagoans pledged the
money to the newly-formed
Crime Detection Institute in
hopes that mammoth rewards
will help stop crime in Chicago
and elsewhere.
Institute members said their
idea was that informants would
not be able to resist telling what
they know of major crimes un
der the impetus of such huge
sums of money.
First President
Circuit Judge Julius H. Miner,
who conceived the Institute and
became its first president, said
the Bureau of Internal Revenue
has indicated officially that con
tributions to the reward fund
would be tax-deductible.
The number one quarry of the
businessmen was the man or
men who picked up three Chi
cago schoolboys on a rain-swept
street a year ago last October
and committed one of the most
brutal crimes in Chicago history.
The naked, battered bodies of
John Schuessler, 13, his brother,
Anton, 11, and Robert Peterson,
13, were found two days later in
a forest preserve ditch. One of
the greatest manhunts Chicago
has ever known failed to pro
duce the killer.
Scientists Study
Rice Paddy Snails
Iowa City U.R) A tiny snail
that hves in the rice paddies
and irrigation ditches of the
Orient is the object of an exten
sive study by a Chinese scientist
at the University of Iowa's col
lege of medicine.
Dr. Hsi Fan Hsu has been
studying the problem posed by
the snail since 1948.
So small it can hardly be
seen with the naked eye, this
amphibious snail is known to
carry a blood fluke in its larval
stage which infects the human
liver and certain abdominal
veins. Any person who walks or
steps in water infested with the
creature is almost sure to con
tract the disease.
The disease, which is fatal
more than 10 per cent of the
time, is very hard to get rid of.
Victims who don't die find it a
chronic disease.
Suffering from abdominal
pains and enlargement of the
liver and spleen, victims grad
ually weaken, requiring more
and more rest each day until
they become bedridden.
Oregon and throughout the
state. Oregonians should not
hesitate to let the governor know
their feelings on this subject.
Jackson county residents will
be glad to know that our House
delegation of Rep. Al Littrell
and Rep. Bob Duncan are both
already doing a fine job and
have excellent committee as
signments. It is our mutual hope
that we can find the answers to
some problems which peculiarly
confront southern Oregon. All
of us will be glad to receive your
views on any subject at any
time. A letter may be addressed
to us at: "State Capitol Build
ing, Salem, Oregon."
Moving Rugged
The rugged first week of the
session was less hectic than try
ing to move the family to Salem
a week ago Saturday. The fam
ily station wagon was bulging
with the children (a sack of ap
ples to forestall hunger pains)
play pen, teeter babe, suitcases
and all the other paraphernalia
required to keep the family go
ing for an indefinite time. Hence
my absent-mindedness in an Al
bany service station where I left
my billfold while making
change and trying to get one of
the boys to the bathroom in
time. The Sunday night session
which lasted from 7 pjn. to 4:30
a.m. Monday was brightened by
the recovery of the billfold by
the Oregon State Police, who
had practically no "clues." The
billfold, I understand, was found
in the possession of an out-of-state
motorist at a point many
miles south of Albany. This
saved the day!
Rave
Bondadiffer-
,957iorea; ..for
who've ben end
Warmed-over ho , ,he on-
...r is sP16''
desig" 1
Ago
new
hroo'
car i
testea
Don't
- --111 -" : - -
New Jersey Medical
Society Takes Steps
Against Mercy Killing
Trenton, N.J. (U.R) The
Medical Society of New Jersey
condemned mercy killing today
as a practice "in conflict with
accepted principles of morality
and sound medical practice."
The society released a short
statement adopted by the or
ganization's Board of Trustees
criticizing a petition in the Leg
islature to legalize euthanasia.
The petition, signed by 166
New Jersey physicians, was in
troduced in the Legislature last
week.
Right to Opinions
The resolution of the 6.300
member medical society said "as
private citizens those physicians
have the right to their own
opinions and actions."
However, the society said,
"those opinions are not to be
construed as reflecting the offi
cial and accepted position of or
ganized medicine regarding eu
thanasia." "The practice of euthanasia
has been and continues to be
in conflict with accepted prin
ciples of moraltiy and sound
medical practice," the statement
said.
The petition, said to have
been prepared by the Euthanasia
Society of New York headed by
the Rev. John Howland Lathrop
of Brooklyn, N.Y., urged that
"voluntary euthanasia should be
permitted by law, brought out
into the open and safeguarded
reviews
c - doubt
trove!
than
any
fea
itureJ
t
....
.,Cciri
56, Jan.
Nov.
smash
the
To meet the landslide buyer demand, the largest manpower force in Mercury's history is working overtime
in all assembly plants to produce a record 40,000 BIG m's in January alone ... a Mercury a minute, every
minute of the day and night, the big m is the smash success of 1957. The reason? . . . value! Never before
has so much bigness and luxury cost so little! Why not stop in and see your Mercury dealer today?
miss the bis television hit, 'THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW," Sunday evening, 8:00 te : 00. Sttrion KBES, Channl S.
MEDFORD MOTORS, Inc.
6th and Ivy Phone 2-6157
Tuesday, January 22, 19S7
against abuse, rather than as at
present practiced illegally, sur
reptitiously and without regula
tion." It suggested that mercv kill
ing be authorized by a court of i
record after it is requested by
a sufferer, and after investiga
tion of the case by a court-appointed
committee.
Would File Petition
Under such a law a person
suffering from an incurable dis
ease such as cancer would first
petition for his own death. A
physician would then submit an
affidavit to the validity of the
petition and to the patient's con
dition, then a court order would
be sought to authorize ending
the patient's life to stop his
suffering.
Proponents of such a law ar
gue that the aged arid victims
of incurable diseases who fare
long periods of agony, some
times attempt crude methods of
suicide. Some are released from
the suffering secretly by rela
tives or doctors who are willing
to stand trial for murder.
There was a similar move to
legalize mercy killing in New
Jersey seven years ago. It was
unsuccessful.
The railroad system inside the
Ford Motor company's Rcuge
plant at Dearborn, Mich., has
106 miles of rails, 24 diesel loco
motives and over 1,200 cars.
from the auto critics!
. rar for you if you want a d.stmehvely
"Mercury ear to 'you J cQpy
styled medium-priced car that isni
of any other automobile.' CAR UFEJan. '57
wl llllytJ1, ! i" " y""rT" ?
leaned from ,h. t,
rylino , u. .1 ! ' from new
icnned
""pension, ,T, a
MOTOR TREND
c., D. -56.
"Mercury is spectacularly different." POPULAR MECHANICS'57 CarFacf.
hit with
EOCUEW -for 'S"F
with DREAM-CAR DESIGN
Jacksont School Plans
Forming Dad's Club
Fathers of students attending
Jackson school have been asked
to attend a meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 23, in Paul
Gandt's room at Jackson school.
Purpose of the meeting is to
form a Dad's club, the first in
any of the local schools, it has
been announced.
r
REMODELING or BUILDING...
... Here's Your Answer!!
11 4'
-mmmm
ri WiritiSM
City Appliance, Inc.
"Jackson County's Exclusive Hotpoint Dealer"
127 N. Central Across from Penney's Phone 3-5306
bo.. -j
Ul.
AW..
yon.
We '""oscert ""ion
he most
SCulDtur.J
uarl .,
Jan. '57
the public!
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE TVfZ
Soviet Antarctic
Expedition Gets Data
London (U.R) The Sov
iet Anarctic expedition has col
lected enough data for the first
geological map of the Russian
exploration site in eastern Ant
arctica and will leave for home
shortly. Radio Moscow said to
day. ' on
mi,
y on
0"OoV "
o'm,
IOJ
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