g SUNDAY. FEBRUARY 24. 198S MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFOHD. OREGON
Congress: Is It Frittering Away Its Power, Shirking Its
(Editor's not: Has Con
greu, under its seniority
yitem, ialltn undtr con
trol of stubborn old men
who liv in in put and
block prograu? This ques
tion hai coma into iharp fo
cus again as would-bt re
formeri, among ihtm for
mer President Dwight D.
Eisenhower, are assailing
traditional procedures and
demanding changes.)
By FRANK ELEAZER
United Press International
Washington-flJPD-Lalely our
lawmakers have hardly been
able to find their press clip
pings and letters from home
lor the deluge of printed mat
ter to the effect that Congress
Is about to collapse.
A national magazine says
In a headline that "our legis
lators are frittering away
their power and shirking
their duty."
A political scientist is doing
tine with a $5.95 book en'
titled, "The Deadlock of
Democracy." It says approxi
matcly that Congress had slid
off the back of the sleigh.
Every columnist with any
kind of respectable ivory
tower at all has been moan
ing that the lawmakers have
lost touch with the people,
among other offenses.
It is widely claimed that a
bunch of old men have
clamped a cold dead hand on
the throttle of progress, and
to quote an article in the
Saturday Evening Post
something must be done in a
hurry to "save Congress from
collapse."
Former President Dwight
D. Eisenhower has said one
thing to do is pass a consti
tutional amendment limiting
service in House or Senate
to not more than 12 years, a
proposal that was received in
pained silence by many of
$39 Million in
Taxes Is Levied
Oregon counties levied
nearly $39 million in prop
erty taxes for the fiscal
year to end June 30, 1063,
according to the Bureau of
Municipal Rem rch and
Service at the University ot
Oregon.
The report obtained In
cooperation with the As
sociUnn of Oregon Coun
ties, shows that an addition
al $101 million has been
levied by cities, school dis
tricts and special districts.
The counties also are re
sponsible for collect ing
special assessments amount
ing to more than $2 million.
An exception is Jackson
county which has made no
tax levy for county purposes
since 1957, because O and
C funds finance the county
operation. The other 35
counties have property tax
levies ranging from $U2.4'25
in Wheeler county to $18,
122,170 in Multnomah
county.
On a per capita basis,
county property taxes vary
from $4.33 per capita in
Benton to $50.04 per capita
in Morrow. The median per
capita county property tax
Is $22.27.
One-half of the counties
levy properly taxes which
amount to between $16 and
$31 per capita.
Herman Kehrli, director
of the Bureau nf Municipal
Research and Service,
pointed out that this latest
nvailuble tabulation indi
cates that the counties re
ceive more than 40 per cent
of their revenue from the
property tax.
Bangs of Reliance
There is a wide range of
reliance on this source and
a wide variation in proper
ty tax rates among the
counties, he noted.
One third of Oregon's
counties obtain more than
half of their revenues from
taxes on property and sev
eral obtain two thirds of
their revenues from this
source.
County property taxes
have provided a declining
share" of total county reve
nues In Oregon through re
rent years. In 1934, county
property taxes provided 77
Permit Valuations
In City Increase
An Increase in building per
mit valuations in the city of
Medford for January, 1063,
compared to January, 1062,
lias been reported by the Uni
versity of Oregon Bureau of
Business Research.
In January, 1063, to total
value of building permits was
$343,780. It was $108,000 In
the same month of the previ
ous year.
Building permits from 147
Identical reporting centers in
Oregon totaled $16,709,705 In
January, 10H3. This was a de
crease of 16.1 per cent com
pared to January, 1962.
OFFERS PROPOSAL Since
ton, Congress has been fair game for criticism from all
quarters, but lately even Congressmen have gotten into the
act. Sen. Joseph S. Clark (D-Pa.), for one, has proposed that
the Senate abolish its seniority system, put committee chair
manships up for grabs every two years, and throw out any
chairman who survives to be 70. Clark is shown above in a
recent news conference. (UP1)
Ike's friends on Capitol Hill.
Well, what about it? Is
Congress about to reform?
Yes, it fully intends to
raise its own pay, maybe be
fore it adjourns for the year.
And it may even break with
the past and declare itself an
per cent of total county
revenues. In 1058-59 coun
ty property taxes provided
42.2 of total county reve
nues. A Diminishing Share
County property taxes
also have constituted a
diminishing share of total
property taxes in the stale
20.7 per cent in 1054-55,
1R.8 per cent In UI57-5R,
17.4 per cent in 1000-61 and
1(1.8 per cent in 1062-63.
Property tax levies by
counties for the current fis
cal year are $1.8 million, or
5 per cent, higher than last
year. Levies in 10 counties,
however, are lower than
last year. These counties
are Clatsop, Crook, Klam
ath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln,
Malheur, Morrow, Tilla
mook and Union.
Morrow with 13.3 had
the highest per cent of
decrease and Jefferson
county had the highest per
cent of increase, 56.5, over
the previous fiscal year.
IKttb
1M
PLANTS
Add now greenery to your own scenery. When
you tee our big display you'll want to garnish your
grounds with thorn. It's time to plant.
We have a large selection of
FRUIT TREES
Dwarf Varieties $1.75
Semi-Dwarf $1.95
Flowering Trees Shade Trees
Rhododendrons
Roses Ground Cover Plants
CAMELLIAS
SEVERAL
Several Varieties of Pink &
ENGLISH LAUREL
FOR HEDGING
20 Varieties of AZALIAS $1.25 up
All Kinds of Evergreens
OPEN EVERY DAY
Southern Oregon
Nursery Co.
2922 SO. PACIFIC HIWAY
. mi I r .1 r. i i . .
i oiock souin aitnigm unve-ln vi
lendsceping Advice Ph. 772
the days of George Washing
official late-summer vacation,
so the younger members can
get to the mountains or beach
with the kiddies.
Anything much beyond
that?
Don't be silly.
Then is the outlook for de
mocracy hopeless?
Claimed It Failed
Before the first Congress
was well organized critics
claimed it had failed. They
said that President George
Washington was really run
ning things, and that Congress
had defaulted its powers.
In 1805 a visiting English
man wrote home that imagi
nation in Congress was dead;
that the members dressed and
acted like bums.
An official history of the
House records that President
Thomas Jefferson in his time
was viewed as a dictator. It
was said that party members
in Congress were simply tak
ing their orders Irom him.
The fact is, Congress always
has been fair game for assault
by everybody from cracker-
barrel philosophers to news
paper cartoonists. The gen
eral picture , according to
George Galloway, who wrote
the official House history, has
been of a body "composed of
middle-aged windbags with
open mouths, 10-gallon Texas
hats, and flowing coattails."
Image Has Changed
Sartorially, the image may
have changed somewhat re
cently, but the criticism con
tinues unaltered. Lately even
some members of Congress
have gotten into the act. They
- SHRUBS
IN BLOOM
SIZES
White Dogwood
15c .. 75c
for Foundation Plantings .
8 TO 6 .i
- 4387
v
- v
have dropped in the hoppers,
to be promptly forgotten,
bills to cure an astonishing
variety of ailments, real or
presumed.
They proposed everything
from putting the House on
live television to reading
aloud the Declaration of Inde
pendence each Fourth of July.
Some members want to make
the Congressional Record an
honest account of what hap
pens, surely a laudable aim.
Republicans are in with bills
to let them name 40 per cent
of the staffs of committees.
Rep. Tom Curtis (R-Mo.)
has put in Ike's constitutional
amendment, or reasonable
facsimile thereof. And Sen
Joseph S. Clark (D-Pa.) has
even proposed hold onto
your gavel that the Senate
abolish its seniority system,
but committee chairmanships
up for grabs every two year3,
and in any event throw out
any chairman who survives to
be 70.
The seniority system, by
which the member of the ma
jority party who has been
around longest automatically
claims the top committee
prir.e and all the power that
goes along with it, is in fact
a main target of much of the
current complaint.
At a recent "school" for
freshman House members, a
no money down
Take up to 36 months to pay
(MM
just say "CHARGE IT"
NO MONEY DOWN AND
EASY MONTHLY TERMS
ON WARDS CONVENIENT
CREDIT PLAN
WARD RANGE SALE
30" SIGNATURE ELECTRIC RANGE
23" bake and broil oven.
Infinite-setting surface units,
appliance outlet. Easy-to-clean,
with removable oven
door and elements, and
lift-up top units.
rfUfcn
..
2 speeds, 2 cycles
10-LB. CAPACITY AUTOMATIC WASHER
Set the normal cycle for regular
washing the gentle cycle for
special fabrics. 3 wash, 2 rinse
water temperatures, lint filter.
Complete front servicing.
117 S. CENTRAL
distinguished journalist who
was part of the faculty said
the new members might as
well face it; the seniority sys
tem, as a means for picking
committee chairmen, had to
go.
As to what might be put in
its place, however, he said,
"That's for you to decide."
Well, Congress decided that
question way back, and no
body has since suggested an
alternative that appears to
most members to hold out
any promise of producing uni-
formly better results.
Clark says let the commit
tee members hold a secret
ballot at the start of each
Congress. Would that result
in turning out, say, Conserva
tive Sen. Harry F. Byrd (D
Va.) as chairman of the Fi
nance committee, or Rep. Carl
Vinson (D-Ga.), as House
Armed Services chairman?
Probably Not A Vote
Of course not. There prob
ably would not be a vote cast
against either of these two
beloved elder statesmen.
Clark's other proposal to
bar the gavel to men over 70
of course would get both
Byrd and Vinson, and many
another chairman as well. But
most members aren't at all
sure their succcsors, on the
average, would necessarily be
an improvement.
REG. 169.95
Ltu Cil-Ore
Bonus Tridt'l
40"
PAY
ONIY.
$
129
NO MONEY DOWN
s
179
NO MONIT DOWT
Til
One thing eating many
would-be reformers is that the
lawmakers have failed to
pass, and show no sign of
passing, certain legislation
which the reformers think
ought to be passed.
School aid and medicare for
the aged are the two bills
most often mentioned.
Stands In Way
It apparently is widely be
lieved that Chairman How
ard W. Smith (D-Va.) of the
House rules committee, stands
personally in the path of
school bills and that one try
after another in this field has
failed, thanks only to him.
Let's say that Judge Smith
has done his part, at the very
least. But the fact is the Con
gress itself has not shown any
red hot enthusiasm for a pro
gram of general school aid.
The House a couple of times
has had up the question and
voted against it. Last year,
House and Senate passed dif
fering bills and could not
agree on a compromise
version.
As for medicare, you might
think the House ways and
means committee is all that
stands in the way. That isn't
so. House leaders doubt they
could pass a medicare bill
now, even if the commiltce
approved it.
FREE DELIVERY
FREE normal installation
AVE 4
ELECTRIC
IT : , - - I
!i VvsT C ?&?HS) sgss5S 5 Thermal-eye unit
:t :K "NX. " " jTrr f will maintain the
I "'Sj" , J)j temperature you
TAKES THE
a Automatic fluorescent safety sentry light in back-guard is on
as long as any top element is on!
Luxury features! Clock-controlled outlet turns appliances off
end on. Surface heating units, oven door and bake-broil elements
ore all removable for easy cleaning. Full-width storage drawer
allows easy storage of pots and pons. Family size 23" oven.
SAVE $31 NOW!
TRU-COLD 12.6 CU. FT. COMBINATION
105-lb. freezer stores food in
safe zero-degree cold. Auto
matic defrost refrigerator has
full-width crisper, egg rock,
bcus storage space in door.
773-7301
Does this mean that Con
gress itself, as well as some
of its committees, has lost
touch with the public? Not
necessarily. Many members
say the fact is that the pub
lic has not as yet manifested
a real demand for either pro
posal. On an average, the House
probably is a little more con
servative than the average
voter. The Senate likely is a
little more liberal. 'But on
past performance. Congress
usually reflects pretty well
the state .of public opinion.
If and when an overwhelm
ing demand appears for
school aid and medicare, the
chances are that Congress
will see its way clear to enact
them.
Most members think what
set off the latest round of
blasts against Congress was
last years' deadlock between
House and Senate appropria
tions committees, whose octo
genarian chairmen got into a
stand off over who would
walk to the other's side of the
Capitol building.
Pretty Parochial Issue
Granted, this was a pretty
parochial issue. But nobody
suffered much, the govern
ment didn't collapse, and
some appropriations members
even claim now that the tieup
WARDS NATIONWIDE
REPAIR SERVICE Is fust
a phone call away!
GUESS - WORK OUT OF
ree. 22? 95
NO MONIT DOWN
Mod.l 1313 e5j5' j
may even have saved some
millions of dollars.
In the end, as usually hap
pens when sore spots in Con
gress are beginning to fester,
the leaders took over and got
things moving again.
Historically, that is what
always happens in Congress.
Back in 1910, when Speaker
Joe Cannon got too big for
his britches, the House
trimmed him down. It hand
ed much of his power to the
rules committee, which, many
years later, was itself deemed
Interior Latex
Semigloss Enamel
Exterior Oil Base
BAKER'S Paint
1945 W. Main
I
LOW PRICES EVERY
even bigger values
say "sale"
COOKING
Less
nd
5!! Supreme
HANG!
REG.
W Mod.l 45 13 -:::
-T yS (?) TRU-COLD
525-LB. FREEZERS
15 CU. FT. UPRIGHT AND CHEST STYLES
Save en either model
both hold a supermarket of
food at 0', have chip-proof
interiors. Chest reg. 1 99.95,
upright style, reg. 209.95; icm
each now at same price. mo monit down
FREE PARKING
Duty?
to have got out of hand. That
too was corrected, at the start
of the last Congress.
Goodness knows, the Con
gress has faults. Who or what
institution hasn't? The ques
tion is, has the time come to
panic?
"OIL TO BURN"
Mobilheil
S & H Green Stamps
MEDFORD FUEL CO.
772-2111
gal. $3.95
fl. $4.99
Sa. $4.99
& Wallpaper
Phone 773-1062
DAY, and
when we
229.95
45.95
C.l-Ort Bonus
Tr.d-ln
PAY
ONLY
NO MONEY DOWN
it:?
J84