Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-08-02

tanned from any legislature, and that
our legislative recommendations, to
he effective. must be practical.
Civic Pride.
The good roads movement stands
for more than improved highways;
for good roads and good government
are almost synonymous terms. III
cause for which we stand enists to
its support those citizens-happily
the great majority-who care less for
party politics than they do for clean
er civic conditions. and who. once
touched by the contagious enthusiasm
of the good roads movement, become
better citizens. with a keener inter-
est i'm all civic affairs. our high
ways as they are built will stand 10
/ future generations AS monuments
either to honest civic enterprise or
! to selfish graft. The road move
ment In New Mexico Will grow just
so long as II stands for clean and
honest government. and no longer.
| You men who are assembled IN TINS
hall today originate and largely CON
troll county funds. You are, therefore,
in a sense, the makers of the state,
for her welfare rests to large ex-
| tent in your hands Notwithstand-
/
Of the taxpayers who produce those
funds are opposed to their expendi-
ture for political considerations, il is
still common practice in some conn
| ties to manage county finances with
a more than tender regard for the
political party fortunate enough &c
control them. At the risk of being
termed an impractical idealist, may
ask You to consider, as county OH
Gals the tremendous impetus to the
development of our state that woulo
result If all those powerful influences
that you control in the twenty-sA
counties you represent We're united II
n determination to demand a fair as
sessment and an honest tax collec.
ton. and to exercise an expenditure
of those funds with a single eye tC
the welfare and prosperity of oni
state.
Let us determine here and nov
that this association shall stand 70
something more than surfaced high
ways and substantial bridges; that TO
II once we shall forget politics, ana tina
its influences shall be devoted to thu
upbuilding of an honestly governed
, and therefore truly prosperous
commonwealth
The most necessary expenditure II
any construction work Is that requir
ed to hire competent expert supervl
: sion Road building is no work 70
laymen or for experimentation by i'm
! practical theorists. 1t is. in one,
! science and an art. IT eallR for tn
) best thought of trained experts botl
! for the building and for the main
/, tenance Of roads. Our counties can
; not each maintain this necessary ex
! pert force, and ii Is one of the func
[ tions of a state highway commission
to exercise this expert supervision
without which our road expenditure
, cannot be wisely made Do you know
that in the last fifteen years NOR
than a million and half of dollar
have been spent upon the roads o
our respective counties? | leave 1t t
you to say whether or not our coun
ties today show evidence Of wis
expenditure of those funds Withou
central state control, our countie
must he greatly handicapped in wise
~ expending their road funds.
: urge. therefore, closer cooperate
! between our counties and our stat
: highway commission: a greater tol
. erance in passing adverse judgmen
! upon any decisions made by tina
:, commission, and a fuller recognition
:. of the manifold and difficult dutie
of our state engineers and of the fail
straightforward, impartial manner |
, which those duties are being pei
: formed.
Il Bonding plan.
= Closely allied with the ioregoin
e remarks is the second thought that
: wish to leave with you, namtly, [