Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1913-03-19

Governor w. C. Mcdonald last night
vetoed House Bill No. 123--the county
salaries bill and it was filed with the
secretary of state this morning. This
makes the third veto of county sal
aries by the governor in one session
OF the legislature. The governor did
not make a statement concerning the
veto. but it is said, he will later lille
veto message. The governor is re-
ported to object to this bill on the
same grounds as the other bills
namely that the salaries proposed
were too high
The governor also vetoed House Bill
No 1S2-An act creating Aguilar
county and H. E. No. AN act Great
ing Sumner county, the two county
measures for which delegations work
ed so hard during the recent session.
House Bill No. '214-Providing pro
cedure in oil and gas leases on state
lands, etc, and Amended Senate Bill
No, 97-The fence law, also were dis
approved by the executive.
Equally as far reaching in its erect
il, Santa Fe, was the veto by the gov
crnor of some half dozen portions OF
the general appropriation bill.
The salary of the clerk of the SUI
preme court fixed in the bill at $500
was disapproved and stricken from
the bill.
The appropriation of $4,000 for for
chief clerk and voucher clerk for
the state auditor was eliminated
which leaves it up to the auditor to 40
his own work or personally employ
help.
An additional deputy for the state
treasurer at $75 a month to be aVali'
able after March Is was stricken from
the bill.
An insurance department clerk at
$500, a record clerk at $1,000 and an
additiona! stenographer at $500 were
eliminated.
The salary for superintendent OF IN
surance to March Is, 1918 was disap-
proved.
As a result of this action by the gov
ernor. there will be no provision for
the payment of a clerk OF the supreme
court after his present appropriation
expires: there will be no provision for
even a single employe in the state au-
ditors office; the additional deputy
sought by the state treasurer VIII NOT
he provided for and the lobbing or OF
the salary of the superintendent OF in
surance puts that department e1ec-
tiyely out of business, since there Is
no provision for it's continuance.
But the veto of the county salaries
bill. while not unexpected in view OF
the stand taken by the governor DUR
ing the sessions of the Legislature, IS
far more sweeping in extent than any
act of the executive since he has Deeh
in office.
1T means that should he decline to
call a special session OF the leglsla-
ture this summer, the county othcers
all over the state will either hold Of
flee without pay or resign and 60 10
work at some more remunerat1ve 1oD.
Many of the county ofticers nave
borrowed money and will be unable to
repay it pending the settlement OF the
salaries question, it is said.
THEY MAY HOLD FEES
AND TEST THE CASE.
In some county offices where fees
are available, the old custom or re-
tanning fees may be resorted 10 III
an effort to provide temporary sal
ary. Some attorneys hold that un-
der the constitution, such a thing Is
permissible, no salaries having been
nroyided. Others assert that the leg
islature complied with the consttu-
ton and passed a salaries Dill anu
that since it was vetoed, the constltu
ton can not be held to have been vlo'
lated in any manner
Elfego Baca, of Albuquerque. assert
ed that in his opinion and in the opln-
iCn Of other attorneys with whom ne
had talked, the county officers would
be clearly entitled to retain at least
enough fees to provide themselves |
their office expenses. Should the coun'
ty officers resort to such measures, an
Interesting test suit would doubtless
be the result and it might involve
salaries in the courts for sew
eral years.
DO MOUNTED POLICE
KEEP OLD APPROPRIATIONS
Do the state mounted police remain
under the former appropriation? This
is a question that is being discussed
at the state capitol today The legis-
,ature made no provision for the state
police in the new appropriation bill 4
nor did the measure designed to
abolish the state police pass both
houses Of the legislature. 1t IS there
fore being contended by some oflciais,
that the state police remain on the
payroll under the former appropria-
x1,nA %1sn of