If a $10,000 item in the Multnomah County budget destined for the Portland Art Museum had not been contested by those venerable gendarmes of decency in art, i.e., Mrs. C. G. Murphy’s “Citizens for Art” committee—the summer in the City of Roses would have been a torpid one, indeed.

However, Mrs. Murphy got her steam up earlier than usual this year—and when the members of the Multnomah County Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission met—not long ago—­they found themselves in the midst of a rousing traditionalist-abstractionist fracas.

The money is only part of the operat­ing wherewithall the