Bisbee daily review., 1915-02-21
Sunday Morning, February 21, 1915
MARKING TIME AT PHOENIX

MARKING TIME AT PHOENIX
 "A start must be made somewhere if we ever get anywhere" Thus spoke Senator Riggs during a de bate last week on the proposal abolish the State Tax Commission His observation might be applied with equal force to almost any of the important sub iecs undertaken by the present legislature. It would be ungenerous and unfair to the debates and the puttugto-vote of embryo measures thus far pro pounded win not bear fruit but the fact remains that none of the paramount problems which confronted the legislators when they began their deliberations have been resolved into statutes In other words import ant legislation has yet been actually accomplished a though both houses have been active for six weeks The results have been almost entirely negative.
 The prohibition issue held up by barrier Of controversy which at present gives indication of solving itself into legislative agreement The mwe tax bill over which so much thought and attention has beon expended seems have made little material progress Efforts to square appropriations State expenses wl the prediction promises of economy have not resulted in fulfilling the covenant made by the legislators with the people of Arizona.
 Dwelling briefly the prohibition measure, n would appear that extraneous issues have been need Iossly injected Putting aside all except tine fndsmea tai purpose the people of this State record being opposed the traffic in liquor They wanted he saloons closed They wanted ample sameguards agans the sale Of liquor in public private. Traffic mus, stop Advocates prohibition denied their intention o striving to secure law which would deprive citizens o their personal liberties cmbarrass the practice of med cine or promotion science offend sacramentaI obli cations The sole purpose avowedly sought to stamp ou, traficng in alcoholic beverages That suc, traffic must cease and that the prohibition amendment provides this through seltenforcing capacity. has been established in the courts by the decision in tha Gherna case Then why the delay in drafting and pass ing law which win embody the expressed intent Of thc people. If Ibe dry" forces blocking legislation De- cause it fails to contain restrictions more drastic thal
 majority of the people want their action clearly is rcprehensbe IT the wet" forces are seeking to take advantage Of the confusion attending the absence of definite interpretation of the prohibition amendment their conduct is nothing short legislative brgandase should difficult place the blame where it be- longs A forbidding any and all traffic in Ii quor in Arizona and providing adequate to enforcement and proper penalties violation, vii GH the bill. That is what wanted. nothing more ol less.
 Somewhat of the same line Of ar.lment might b. advanced in reference to the mine bill It wouI| that the passage any mine tax legislation can not be secured absolutely merits Efforts to 3e equitable having to do exclusively wit taxation mines are sidetracked by the claims labor agricultural advocates who want representative interest and without whose voting as sistauce mine tax bill cannot be passed. Losrouin strings attached their services If this situation continues bin passed which will be other tha compromise measure expressing either les than would be the if merit alone was considered
 The proposal abolish the Tax Commission; ul proposal to form Board of EQuaization the proposa Go abolish Che Land Commission, and other recommet datins aiming greater efficiency and more conducy to economy confronted by opposition born Of D, litcal jealousy and adherence to the spells system
 As yet there has been little impress tho publ with the idea that the present legislature is hewir strictly to Che line Of uusedsh duty or meeting square the obligations undertaken in furtherance of the con mon veal of Arizona