Arizona republican., 1918-05-25
LAMAR COBB SHES BOTH HIS HAT AND
 CASTOR INTO RING
(By Lamar Cobb)

 it is an announcement with few oo- serVations upon men and measures.
 In announcing my candidacy for governor I am confronted with a doublv annihilated I. w. w., and claims to one hundred per cent Amer icanism preempted; therefore, to avoid a charge of plagiarism l will give these two subjects but brief men tion.
 The American Bolsheviki being about as popular generally as the de facto governor among his erstwhile demo- cratic supporters, I pledge myself to eliminate both the I. W. w. and the "big sombrero." The de facto govern or in office pleads helplessness to maintain order: the candidate one year later boldly announces his de- testation of the red card gentry. Be- ing inflicted upon us about the same time it is fitting that they should make their exit together
 Realizing that the percentage scale, with a maximum of one hundred (re- gently chosen to measure the patrio- tism of candidates for governor), is unfair to retiring natures slow to rush into print, I suggest that the ther- mometer be substituted so those who may follow will not be forced to crowd perfection in their chosen places; and there being no limit to degrees of pat riotism. the boiling point may be reached with consequent increase to the army in France.
 There is no class or citizens who can be more easily spared nor whose pres ence in the community is less desir- able, than defeated candidates just after election, 1 therefore suggest to the other aspirants for political honors that we pledge ourselves in case of de- feat to join the real one hundred per cent Americans-those in the trenches. or get as near them as possible. To be perfectly fair I will have to admit that l volunteered my services one year 7go, and later tried to enter the officers training camp, but was rejected; how ever, the age limit may yet be raised. Having been one of the few original supporters of Woodrow Wilson in Ari- zona it will be safe to assume that I II back him to the limit in the con- duct of the war; and I leave my patriotism to be judged by my actions. l gather from all sections of the state that 1t is the opinion of a large ma jority of the party that our nominee for governor should represent something
 'ore than brass, brawn, buncombe or embonpoint; not that these qualities are entirely devoid of merit, but that they should be supplemented by others
 ot less pronounced, but tending more to qualify for executive office.
 I subscribe to the old fashioned 'heory that a public office is a public trust-not a private snap. Economy and efficiency in public office should i square with prediction pledges. There is greater need at this time than ever before to limit state expenditures to the needs of the hour, that every dollar may be conserved to back up our mer
 nd women at the front.
 The official record of public ser. want is public property, always a prop. CT subject for constructive criticism; and as l expect during the campaign to go into the record of others, invite attention to my own. I stand squarely on my record of over five years a. state engineer in charge of all state highway and bridge construction; ex
 pending and accounting for in every
 detail over two million dollars Tn,
 work speaks for itself and of it's clas
 is eXcelled by no state. The highwa,
 department is by far the most import ant and the most difficult to administe
 successfully of all the departments 0
 he state, operating in every count
 and eXpending one million dollars an
 nually-one-fourt the total state ex penditures. The most important func
 tion of state government today. as re
 gards the outlay of capital and direc benefits received therefrom. is tha relating to highway improvement Every increase in the state road fun zee 1912 has been due to my effort
 before the legislature, rendered sue
 cessful by the quality Of work done un
 der my direction.
 I appeal with confidence for the sup
 port of all who believe in the economi
 cal and efficient administration of tn
 state road fund, and are earnestly de T.rous of seeing completed system C
 state highways. which will not be ac
 complished if the highway departmen
 s made political football.
 Having begun life as a machinist ap
 prentice. working from ten to twelv
 and half hours a shift at seven cent l per hour, studied the lessons of socis ] justice in the school of experience, an 9 was converted at an early age to tn uoClilue OI IedSOndDle hours Of WOr 3 with fair wage. He who would SC { cure the most harmonious working re ? lations between capital and labor em 9 blower and employe, must neithe r truckle to the one nor be browbeate k by the other, but must know the as e pirations and view point of each an d win their mutual confidence by fair an open dealings. Such will be my CT n deavor.
 If elected my first public act will l l, to request four of the most influenti e men of the state, equally representati, d of capital and labor, to act as my aC
 visers during my tenure of office. S 1 favor the abolition of the commi O sion of state institutions, if it's illegs 2 costly and meddlesome life has n e earlier been brought to an end by u
 supreme court.
 ). It is the duty of the governor to s : that the laws are enforced, and o should have enough backbone to CT e force them impartially. If elected