Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-02-04

cended first to sort Df dazed and
wondering admission that business
was not so good as it appeared to
promise; then into a series of days of
violent and ranting abuse run wild,
the latter dwindling into a series of |
silly threats. and finally into a half
silence and a copying of the utter
ances of other newspapers. without
comment. a policy to which the ag-
ressive editor of the Almanac seldom
turns.
1t should perhaps be said that Coll
onel Frost is not the only one of that
little band who expected to wreck
the republican party and ride hack to
power on the wrecking train. who has
recently acquired cold feet
There is going to be concerted OPP
position to the enaction of and xinG |
of a fee or salary bill for county Of
ficials which will stop the present
graft in the big counties and change
the system i'm the less opulent ones
The county officials. some of them,
who gather in these large salaries are
as loath as ever to part with them,
and they are coming down to fight
the plan as best they can. The leg
islature as it stands today Is in favor
of reducing the county salaries to
reasonable return for the service per-
formed, but if the people of New
Mexico want this reform ii will bs
well for them to let the members of
the assemly know it. The opposing
county officials will be here. The peo-
pie should be here, too, to respect
fully present their side of the case
to the assembly. They will be given |
respectful consideration at the hands
Of fhio 81
have petitions should send them in
and"those who have not should send
delegations of their strongest men,
who will be in a position to explain
the desires of the people with intel
ligence.
The passage of the anti-gambing
law through the Arizona legislature
has served to stir the members of the
New Mexico assembly to a desire for
action on the same evil. Is New Mex
leo to be distanced in the march to-
ward decency? Is a question which |
has often been heard here since Fri |
dav The members believe that an
anti-gambling law SHOULD be passed |
and they hold that the right time is !
right now, before the session is any |
further advanced 1t is a plain, clean |
cut issue and should require little de-
bate. The members who are in town. |
majority of them. would like to go |
into the session tomorrow and vote |
an anti-gambling law. There is rea-
son to believe that some of them will
propose to do it,
Mr. Mirabal's campaign Of abolish |
mig things is pretty generally recog- |
nized as sincere. Mr. Mrabal is a |
sincere man. His motives are seldom |
concealed and his own judgment is |
his guiding Influence He says there |
are too many territorial offices for |
which the taxpayers pay. The tax
payers money, he thinks, as in the |
case of the bureau of immigration, is |
used to perpetuate the expense, and |
he thinks the safe way to do is to cut |
it all off. He will have strong sup |
port to his plan to abolish the bu |
reau. and unless a efficient game pro-
lection system can be advised there /
will be little opposition to his bill TO |
abolish the game warden's office.
On the nor ted police he will meet |
with the combined opposition of sheep |
and cattle growers who have found |
the police a means of protection /
which they are now loath to do With |
out The result of this campaign for |
economy will be watched with deep |
interest.
While little or no actual legisla-
tion has been accomplished. there is
a great deal of important work under !
way. A new assessment and tax law |
is being drafted. also several amend |
ments to the corporation law, while |
dozens of other measures which will |
prove of general interest are being |
carried in pockets awaiting a favor
able occasion for presentation. 1t can
be said with some confidence that |
the assembly will get down to busi
ness this week. unless-always unless, !,
the employe pay roll comes up.
And the employe pay roll is not an
easy problem. The general knowledge |
of the size of the house pay roll has |
strengthened the desire of the mem-.
bers who oppose this graft to abolish |
it, and has likewise caused the men |
who stand for the extra emplOye |
graft TO wonder If they had best moi |
stand from under. Therefore there is |
talk of making a sudden reduction |
in the number of house employees, and |
of substituting some useful people for
the useless ones. What will come of |
this agitation remains to be seen.
Certain 1t is that any attempt at over
appropriation or Illegal appropriation
for the payment Of employees will be |
vigorously opposed in both houses.