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!
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I
- i
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CLAM CHOWDER
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mm
Try Doxsee Minced Clams, too!
riavor-ncn ciams, mmcea ana pawed in their own
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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 .
PORK l
SAUSAGE I
OUR OWN BONELESS
LEAN
CORN BEEF
7c
11 4 lb.
FRESH FANCY
CLAMS PRAWNS
Little Neck No- 1 Fancy "
White Prawns
Steamers
Jl lb. l n t
20-22 per Pound
FRESH SMELTS? 3 " SI. 00
BONELESS-ALL LEAN
PORK LOIN
ROAST 4 ,0 41 ,b,,)
, TENPER lvVLcl'
LAMB 1 kT, ,o.23c I IQ) 3 b
"MORRELL'S" FAMOUS
HAMS
FULLY COOKED '
"Already Baked
When You Buy It"
FULL HALF
OR WHOLE
"CHOICE" EASTERN CORN-FED PORK
ALL CENTER
LEAN
PORK CHOPS
B0CII-WURST
Spring
Time
Treat
Fancy Lge.
Frost-Free
Artichokes
9 For
Fancy Washington
WINESAP
APPLES
4
OK
Lbs.
in
2
Solid Crisp
CABBAGE
TRY
OUR
DELICIOUS
CORNED
BEEF
From Our
MEAT
DEPT.
Q c
nj Jib.
Extra Fancy
Solid Head
LETTUCE
3 LARGE
HEADS
9C
Pure Vegetable 3-lb.
SHORTENING fjn
GOLDEN MIST RED KING ' ri -
SALMON 7SC
B in B (Broiled in Butter) LARGE Tt f
MUSHROOMS c
. T , (79e Value) K
Whole or Sliced .......
"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
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