Edward Douglass White

“ The initiative and referendum powers reserved to the people by this Constitution are hereby further reserved to the legal voters of every municipality and district, as to all local, special, and municipal legislation, of every character, in or for their respective municipalities and districts. The manner of exercising said powers shall be prescribed by general laws, except that cities and towns may provide for the manner of exercising the initiative and referendum powers as to their municipal legislation. ”

“ The supreme court of Oregon committed error in deciding that the granting of a franchise and building a bridge across the Willamette river, owned by the state of Oregon and controlled jointly by the United States of America and the state of Oregon, is a municipal purpose instead of a state purpose, and can be granted by the electors of the city of Portland in amending the charter of the city of Portland under the said 'Oregon system,' as said decision denied to plaintiff in error the law of the land. ”

“ The right to stand in judgment for this purpose was based upon the interest of the complainant as a citizen and taxpayer. The complaint stated a multitude of grounds, assailing in every conceivable form the power to authorize the voters of the municipality to resort to the initiative for the purpose of amending the charter; and the repugnancy of the delegation of that power and of the charter amendment adopted in pursuance of it to many provisions of the state Constitution and the Constitution of the United States. ”