Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/652

 530

UNITED STATES : — OREGON

OREGON.

Governnieilt. — The Legislative Assembly consists of a Senate of 30 members, chosen for four years (half their number retiring every two years), and a House of 60 Representatives, elected for two years.

The Constitution was amended in 1902, under the terms of which amend- ment the people reserve to themselves the power to propose laws and amend- ments to the Constitution and to enact or reject the same at the polls inde- pendent of the Legislative Assembly, and also reserve the poAver at their own option to approve or reject at the polls any Act of the Legislative Assembly. This is known as the Initiative and referendum. Not more than eight per cent, of the legal voters are required to propose any measure to be voted upon by the people at the next eusuing general election. Measures thus initiated are enacted or rejected at the polls independently of the Legislative As- sembly. Under the referendum, any Bill passed by the Legislative Assembly, except such as are for the preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, may, by petition signed by five per cent, of the legal voters, be referred to the people to be voted on for aj)proval or rejection at the next ensuing general election.

In all elections every white male citizen of the United States of the age of twenty-one years and upwards, who shall have resided in the State during the six months immediately preceding such election ; and every Avhite male of foreign birth of the age of twenty-one years and upwards, who shall have resided in the United States one year, and shall have resided in this State during the six months immediately preceding such election, and shall have declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States one year preceding such election, conformably to the laws of the United States on ihe subject of naturalization, shall be entitled to vote at all elections authorized by law.

The State is represented in Congress by two Senators and two Represen- tatives (a third representative will be allowed by new apportionment.)

Governor :— Oswald West, 1911-1915. (5,000 dollars.)

Secretary of State. — Ben. W. Olcott.

The State Capital is Salem. There are 34 counties in the State.

Area, Population, Instruction.— Area, 96,030 square miles, i,470

square miles being water.

Years Population ^mUe^"

] Years

Population

Per sq. mile

1880 174,768 I'SO 1890 313,767 3-40

' 1900


 * 1910

i

413,536 672,675

4-40 7-00

The population in 1910 was made up of 384,285 males and 288,510 females, and included 7,359 Chinese, 3,418 Japanese, 5,090 Indians, and 1,519 negroes. The foreign-born numbered 65,748, of wliom 13,292 were German, 9,367 Chinese, 6,634 Canadian, 5,663 English, 4,555 Swedish,