Arizona republican., 1901-02-12
Something has been heard in tn


 fort Go abolish ;he ooari THE of control. It should he BOARD OF sad that this matter CONTROL. has been discussed only
 by those who regarded all of the campaign utterances last fall seriously. The abolition of the board has also been advocated by partisan and uninformed newspapers. The only reason we have 50 far heard advanced for the abolition of the board is that thereby the governors power, which Is already too great, w,u.d be curlailed
 The matter of abolishing the board Is not worth considering. A very large majority of the members of both houses have already frowned on fool ish and anarchlstic legislation.
 For the edifcation of those mis- guided souls who arr, fortunately for Arizona, in a hopeless minority, we would Ike to say word about the power of the governor of which we have heard so much. Il. is not possi- ble for the legislature to abate 1t by a jot or tittle without repeating oramend- ing the organic act and we think that even MT St. Charles of Mohave county would think twice before trying that. The legislature can very easily abolish the board and leave either nothing In the place of 1t or substitute the old cumbrous system of n board for each institution. In the first event tlhe only effect with respect to the governor would be to make his power more di- rect He would still appoint lhe heads of the various institutions and the work now done by the board would be done in the executive office. In case of the re-establishment of the old system of boards. their members would be ap- pointed by the governor so that his power, though exercised in a different way, would still remain. The folly of assailing 1t must, therefore. be appar- ent
 There may be an honest difference of opinion as to the best way cf manag- ing the affairs of the territory. It may be admitted for thc purposes of argu- ment that the board of control system Is not the best. An argument in its favor, however. Is that 1t or a similar system of beard of public works Is in operation In almost every state in the Union. Another argument based upon chcapness of it. Before the creation of the board of control there were the prison board. the insane asylum board, and for short time he reform school board. The per diem of the members of these boards was sl0. Each board had salaried secretary and the prison board had In addition a treasurer.
 If the board of control were put out of existence u single officer would go with 1t, the citizen member. dem ocIat.
 Beside being more awkward, the o.d system of institution boards was less safe. They handled the money of the institutions of which they were In charge and thus there were always op- portunities for rascality. which was practiced at least oncc by George Stevens. sill lovingly remembered as Little Steve" member and treasurer of the board, who stole $7,5OO of the prison funds. Such a thing as that could not happen under the board Of control.
 The management of public affairs has been infinitely more buslncss-likc since the creation Of the board of con- trol shan t had ever been before. It is not to be said that the appointment of some ether kind of a board with a greater scope of authority might not be a still further improvement. That Is a subject for the honest consideration of the legislature. But to those who have no other purpose in view than to lessen the power of the governor. We would suggest an equally profitable employ ment of their time in the just as easy task of translating themselves to heaven by a vigorous and continued Juggling at their boot-straps.
 "Denocr-ary Its Y,a st a p,1 L,,turs. is