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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1961)
8 D THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16. 1961 MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, ORE. i ii If the people of Oregon have one over-riding interest in common, it must be their children. - About half the 1,300 to 1,400 bills expected to be in troduced at . this 51st session of the Legislative Assembly are now . some tnrougn me lawmaking process at the Statehouse. with the session about one-third over, And of all those hundreds of bills, dealing with every thing from the slate s gov ernmental set-up in case of war to the attachment of tags on beaver pelts, the ones that have to do with education of children are getting more at tention from the general pub lie than anything else. Legislators I've talked with say they have received more mail on the subject of chang ing the entrance age of first graders than any other single issue, (That bill, by the way, would have kept many young sters home an extra year be fore they could go to school; it was tabled in committee and probably will die quiet ly as a result of protests from mothers who said their John nie was ready to read now!) Almost any education bill that is fairly easy to under stand (such as the proposal for public kindergartens or the teachers' duty-free lunch period bill) Is sure to arouse articulate pudiic reaction. So do other pieces of ' legis lation in which the average Oregonian can see a direct and immediate affect on 'his own activities, convenience, hopes, fears, and pocketbook: ' Most citizens will have an outspoken opinion strongly pro or con such matters as summer work camps for boys, raising car driver's license minimum age to 18, or pro hibiting sale of dirty books to kids. But when It comes to com plex legislation the average citizen understandably hesi tates to express his thoughts, unless it is In an area where he is' directly involved. A log truck driver, for in stance, may have definite opinions about the school his children attend or about hunting and fishing rules,- and will say what he thinks. He also realizes vaguely that laws dealing with public util ity regulation, government re organization, workmen's compensation, corporation taxation, etc., are important and eventually will Influence his life in some real though hard-to-pin-down way. He does not, however, have the lime or the information background to get worked up about highly-refined legisla tion always written in nearly- By Marguerite W. Wright incomprehensible legal lan guage. . , So he doesn't say anything about that. But when complicated leg islation like the weightmile tax or flat fee schedules for log trucks is under discussion, this same truck driver knows whereof the lawmakers speak This is close to home; and he also knows what he wants. He'll even come to Salem to make his thoughts known Highway committee hearings have been crowded with log gers in their plaid shirts and denim jeans, with laboriously writtcn-out dollars-and-cents figures on their .costs of op eration, to tell the legislators "there ought to be a law! With such exceptions, most citizens seem, pretty un concerned about what goes on at the Statehouse. They feel that, after all, they elected their representatives to go to Salem, find out the facts, and use their own judgment in the best interests of their consti tuents and of the state. Make no mistake about it, though: Legislators arc at most pathetically eager for communications with their constituents. They love to get mail, and most of them an swer letters faithfully. They are delighted to talk to visit ors. They bend over back wards to give; a hearing to anyone who wants to talk at committee meetings. For a Statehouse observer. it is a pleasure to watch the older, experienced senators and representatives deal with men and women who come in to talk over a problem. Men like Francis Zicgler (R-Corvallis), Monroe Sweet land (D-Milwaukie), and Al fred Corbett (D-P o r 1 1 a n d) have a dignity of bearing thai becomes a senator together with a humility that comes with years of public service. They arc unfailingly courte ous with an old-fashioned courtliness as they listen to some fighting - mad citizen, some, irritating bore, or some person with constructive sug gestions. Unfortunately, there are also some green hands who are so Impressed with the mi racle of their election to high office and so overwhelmed by their mahogany desks and new responsibility, that they can scarcely conceal the con descension behind their smug smiles as they stoop to the common people. They either learn fast ... or they don't last. Defendant Fails to Show Up for Trial Providence, R. I. -(UPD- Ev erything seemed set for the trial of a man charged with possessing burglary tools. The judge was ready, the assistant city solicitor was ready and four detectives were set to testify, but the case had to be continued until another day. Somebody had forgotten to bring the defend ant from jail. Meanwhile, each senior and representative has a number of other missions b e s i d e s merely keeping in touch with his con-1 constituent.) stituents by mail or in person. These include: 1. Informing himself about all the legislation, simple and complex, upon which he must vole, and upon which his con stituents trust him to vote intelligently. 2. Staying afloat among the political whirlpools that eddy ud and down the marble cor ridors of the Statehouse. Re publican State Chairman Peter Gunnar's resignation last week is the sort of de velopment- that causes a great stir among lawmakers who must ' keep their political alignments straight for the sake of their own careers. Be ing politicians as well as (sometimes) statesmen, legis lators must of necessity be aware of all the demands of party loyalties, shifting power balances, etc. 3. Working on behalf of the specific items of legisla tion in which the legislator is personally most concerned. Pushing these pet projects some of which are campaign promises the lawmaker is try ing to keep involves his re lationships with other legis lators as well as with the press and the publici his skill at tactics, and strategy. These provide an opportunity' for him to make a "name" for himself, too. Typical of legislation' in which individual members are particularly interested are the following: Rep. John R. Dellenback (R-Jackson) (7 bills) plans to push a constitutional amend ment providing for annual sessions of the Legislature, also removing the constitu tional limit on legislative sal aries but written so that no Legislature can raise its own pay. This law would enable one session to raise the next session's pay. Sen. L. W. Newbry (R-Jack- son) (7 bills) is backing a bill to exempt out-of-state earn ings of certain retired people from slate income taxes, to encourage senior citizens of means to settle in Oregon. He's also interested in air and water pollution problems, and says he is getting a lot of mail opposing fish and game department consoli d a t i o n, and supporting a law to clamp down on obscene literature. (It should be noted that the fact that a legislator has his name as co-sponsor of a- bill docs not necessarily mean he is obligated to support it. He may introduce legislation courtesy to a uon'i to hunt for the clams! t " I - i Every steaming bowlful of Doxsee Clam Chowder is a treasure trove egsHte!iS5 of tender clams. Rich clam broth and garden vegetables make Doxsee WENGUNDStW a chowder lover's dream. Just add milk for the best-tasting New I V$5x I England Clam Chowder ever. Try a delicious bowlful tonight! fK'' '"- 1 la at nenAiui fefi Sk. AVW TSSk .Si. JT K. 5ii 1 m'iurrvm A i CLAM CHOWDER E7 mm Try Doxsee Minced Clams, too! riavor-ncn ciams, mmcea ana pawed in their own natural juice. Combine them with cream cheese and spices lor zesty canapes, or make your favorite clam dishes. WE USE ONLY FANCY EASTERN CLAMS Quality's Fresh "MEDFORD'S FINEST MEATS SINCE 1940"- CHECK THESE VALUES 10 GROUND BEEF 35 b , Try Our Own Delicious Pure . 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"CALIFORNIA" SUPER-COLOSSAL TALL TINS Ripe Olives 3 T" PILLSBURY BUTTERMILK , Pancake Mix ff 3SC Mj-uwim HANDY Qlj()c AJAX - g 35CANDY FOLGER'S COFFEE- .. 59 i sl17 INTRODUCING FLAV-R-PAC CANNED GOODS EEfsSET Cream Style B com No. 303 Tins CORN Whole Kernel -'-CORN e No. 303 Si 00 Tins mm eREENBEANS Blue Lake B Green Beans No. 303 Tins SWEET PEAt Tender Garden PEA B No. 303 tins ED MILNE'S- UALBTY MAICC IT FREE DELIVERY WE ARE CLOSED SUNDAYS 222 West Main Next to Copco PHONE SP 3-7444
