Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 12.djvu/121

FINANCIAL HISTORY OF OREGON 113 domain were secured for a song- as "swamp" lands, hundreds of thousands of dollars of land funds were grabbed under the guise of "wagon road grants." The attitude of the Oregon people blindly staking their se- curity against public expenditures upon starvation salaries for public officials, fixed state levies, and low assessors' valuations, only fostered finesse and subterfuge among the professional office-seeker, and the grafting lobbyist. How completely the people delivered themselves into the hands of the public de- spoiler is exhibited in the main feature of Oregon's budgetary procedure in use from 1885 on. For the fixed levy was sub- stituted an adjustable rate determined by a board consisting of the governor, secretary of state and state treasurer. This board, after a legislative assembly has adjourned, simply adds up the expenditures authorized through appropriations made and, with valuations in hand returned by the county clerks, com- putes rate necessary to meet liabilities of the state. The legisla- ture is thus absolutely free from worry as to how its appropria- tions are to be met. Only the watch-dog proclivities of in- dividual members stand in the way of the forty-day sessions being converted into more or less of an orgy of log-rolling. Even before 1885, while a traditional fixed levy was adhered to deficiencies were caused compelling the raising of the con- tinuing levy a notch or two. Of course the average legislator has been a representative man, anxious to serve his constituents. As a member of the committee of ways and means he is alert to use his best judg- ment. But he is at a tremendous disadvantage. The secre- tary of state's table of estimates is too general to be of any practical use. It is unsupported by any explanations. The average member is generally an utter stranger to the state establishment of institutions. No traditional mode of pro- cedure with which he can learn real needs to be provided from public treasury is available. No competent and authorized and generally responsible guide is at hand. He is at sea and remains so during the crowded session while beseiged by the