The Parker post., 1915-03-20
The Arizona Gazette, i'm a Scathing Editorial
Says the So Called administration
Lobby"is Responsible for Block
ing All Proposed Construc-
tive Legislation.
(From the Arizona Gazette.)

CFrom the A
The regular session of the second
state legislature of the state OF Arl-
zona has adjourned without date, and
without not much of anything else to
it's credit.
Fifty-five thousand dollars have
been expended Very nearly $1,000
per day for forty-eight days actually
spent in the affairs of state.
The legislature has adjourned with
out passing one single constructive
act.
The great issues that were square
ly before it; the levying of and de-
velopment Of system OF equitable
and just mine taxation; the aboli-
ton of the land commission and the
tax commission; the proper auditing
and control of state departments,
the devise Of system whereby the
Hoters Of the state may have some
Intelligent idea Of where their money
is going; the creation of a board of
public welfare, and the abolition of
The wasteful and extravagant board
C control; the investigation of al
legged mismanagement of state in
tutions-all, every one OF them, have
fallen by the Wayside.
The general appropriation bill has
Jailed in the house of It's origin, and
barring early compromise, the state
will soon be without funds for the
conduct Of it's business.
Sixty days of quibble, factional
quarrels, Iog-rolling and lobbying in
the lower house are responsible for
this outrage upon the people of Ar
izona who must put up $4,000 it
has cost and the $4,000 or more it
will yet cost before the tangle is un-
skeined.
Is it not shame that such con-
dition is possible in a civilized Am
erican commonwealth, where the peo-
pie are supposed to rule?
Fortunately, however, it is posi-
Bile to put ones finger directly up
on the cause of the trouble.
AS straight as plumb-line it
leads to the door of the executive
chamber and the so-called admin
lstration lobby" which has blocked
all legislation in the lower house, is
directly, inevitably and irrevocably
associated with the men who are at
the head of the ship of state
There is no slightest room to toubt
that a mine tax bill, land bill, a
tax commission bill, a public welfare
Dill, an economical expenditure bill,
banking bill, an appropriation bill
and all the rest OF the legislation for
which the state is literally suffering,
could have been passed by the Sec
ond legislature in equity and mutual
agreement had the rule-or-ruin pol
Icy OF the administration been with
drawn and the house lobby instruct
ed to do its duty
Senator Stapley of Maricopa intro
duced a series of bills which, had
they become laws, would have gone
far in Strengthening out the execu-
tive tangle. These included the pub
lie welfare BILL the tax commission
bill, and a measure providing for
economical expenditure OF public
funds.
An example of how the lobby work
ed is found in the last-mentioned act.
the only one which got as far as the
house
1t provided that no automobile
should be purchased or operated or
chauffeurs paid out of public funds
except under express authority of
the legislature, and it provided for
maximum expense account of staate
OFFICIALS when travelling, WHEN THE
BILL REACHED THE HOUSE THE
ADMINISTRATIONS LOBBY WAS IN
INSTRUCTED THAT THESE TWO
OBJECTIONABLE FEATURES
MUST BE ELIMINATED. THEY
WE'RE STRICKEN OUT AND THE
BILL WAS THEREBY RUINED.
1t would have been perfectly feas-
lble to have passed the Cook bill, .
which practically re-enacted the old
mine tax law, and which was salts
factory to all concerned, and under