The Arizona copper camp., 1915-10-29
THE RECALL MOVEMENT


When over hundred citizens Of
Mesa and the surrounding district met
last week and signed a petition for
the recall from office of Governor
Hunt, they set the whole state to
specializing on the scope of the move
ment and its probable outcome At
once a lively discussion arose, and
almost Immediately the governor has
tened to issue statement in which
he assured his constituents that the
movement was not general one. but
was merely local in character. A few
disappointed office seekers, he said,
were circulating the petition, and they
had the support of the stand pat re-
publicans. It was an attempt to dis
credit him that would come to moth
ing.
The governors statement seems
somewhat premature. 1t is not yet
apparent whether the recall move
ment will become statewide, but there
are many reasons why it may be-
come general. These are not the rea-
sons of the disappointed office seeker,
or personal enmity. They are the re-
suit Of a long train of circumstances
which have produced feeling Of
great dissatisfaction with the state
administration, of which the governor
fa fha head
In 1906 the assessed valuation of
Arizona was fifty-eight millions, to-
day it is approximately four hundred
and twenty-four millions, an increase
of over TOO per cent. In the same
ten-year period the tax rate has been
reduced only IA per cent. The peo-
pie of the state are paying an enor-
mously high price to maintain the
state government. They are not get
ting their moneys worth, and they
are becoming weary of the burden.
The excessive burden of taxation
to support an inefficient administra-
tion is not the only grievance which
the Mesa voters mention in their pc
tition. The governor has not hesi-
tated, by reason of his personal views
on the question of capital punishment,
to set aside the law and the man.
dates of the courts When the people
took from him the much-abused par
doning power and placed it in the
hands of a pardon board. and when
it seemed probable that the law was
to be carried out and murderers pay
the penalty for their crimes. inter
national complications" arose, and the
department of state intervened to
save the lives of the criminals. 1t is
believed that these complications"
existed only in the governors mind.
and it is known that their discovery
by the state department followed an
exchange of COMMUNICATIONS with
Governor Hunt. That there was no
danger of such complications was
later established, and the state de-
partment's request was withdrawn.
The governors hasty and ill-advised
veto of the general appropriation bill
last spring, and the embarrassment of
many of the state departments is an
other count which those who are
signing the recall petition may have
in mind. 1t was conceded by the
governors friends after his disap-
proval of the measure that he had
vetoed some clauses which he had
meant to approve. 1t is generally
known that he did not fully under
stand what he was doing. But the
fact remains that the national guard
and parts of three other state depart
ments are still seriously handicapped
by reason Of the muddle which arose,
and that the work of all departments
was virtually at standstill for
months.
It was the consideration of these
facts, together with the recent open
encouragement of lawlessness and
violence by the governor in the
Clifton Morenci strike district that
led the citizens of Mesa to start
the recall movement, and to call on
all the commercial bodies and citizens
of the state to join in the move
ment, according to the news reports.
We note with satisfaction in dis
patches from Phoenix that the min
ing interests of the state are taking