Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-24
WALKED INTO TROUBLE.

I
parently anxious to make an impress
sion upon the voters and being shor
of campaign material, walked RICH
into trouble when they attacked tn,
state council Of defense, heginnins
with the keynote speech of Chairman
Neill p. Field delivered before tn,
convention and followed up by state
ments sent broadcast over the state
by the democratic publicity commit
| tee.
1t has been charged by the demo
Gratis that the state council of defense
| composed mainly of republicans
spent 1925, 900 of the public funds
| and that no report had been issued
showing how it had been spent" The
fact of the matter is, the council OF
| defense did cause to be published q
detailed financial statement covering
the period from May II, 1917,
! to- May 81. 1918. little more
than a year. This statement APP
peared in the Morning Journal
of September IL, and also in
other papers on or near that date
The presumption is that the article
was sent to all the leading papers, but
perhaps on account of its length and
the restrictions placed upon the size
of papers by the war industries board
it was not generally published.
However, the article could not have
failed to come to the attention of those
democrats who have been instrument
al in making charges against the
council of defense. The only
| inference, then, that can be
drawn from the attacks is that the
democrats are hard up for campaign
material and have deviated from the
straight and narrow path of rectitude
in their mad efforts to find an issue.
The published report, it is true, did
not go into details as to the various
items involving expenditures made
during the period covered by the audit.
For instance, the report shows a GER
tain amount paid to employees, Moth
ing is said as to the number Of en-
ployes or the amount drawn by each.
But it must be remembered that go
ing into details TO such an extent
would have made such lengthy re-
port that no paper in the state would
have felt justified in publishing it, and
the only way to have gotten the in
formation before the people would
have been for the council of defense
to have gone to the expense of issuing
the data in pamphlet form and mail
ing a copy to each citizen, an expense
which it hardly seemed necessary for
the council to incur. If any person
is not satisfied with the data already
made public and Is camoring for
more detailed information, we are
sure the council of defense, the treas
urers office and any other depart
ments having anything to do with the
disbursements will place before him
all the records he needs to satisfy his
curiosity if he will journey to the
capitol and make his wish known.
OF course, if the democrats base
their attack upon the fact that the
report over which they are throwing
conniption fits has not been brought
right down to the minute, then there
may be some grounds for the attitude
which they have assumed. No doubt
the council of defense would have ar
ranged for a later audit had the mem
bers suspicioned that the democrats
would make this matter a campaign
issue But the task involved in max
ing an audit of the books is not a
small one and there is no emergency
existing for having it done every few
months
The council of defense handles no
money. All funds are deposited with
the state treasurer and are paid out
only on warrants properly drawn.
Most of the payments are made upon
the personal accommodation of Gov
ernor Lindsey who, even the demo-
Gratis admit, is one of the most faith
full "watchdogs of the treasury the
state has ever had in the gubernator-
ial chair.