Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-27
THE STATE LAND OFFICE.

/ The New Mexico state land offic
has the custody of ten million acres o
land located in every county in tn
state. Every county is interested il
the wise and impartial administrator
of the lands because the users of tn
state lands constitute a majority o
the wealth producers in some coun
ties and are an important factor in Thu
| wealth production Of every county
I! The state land users are the stock
growers and farmers of New Mexico.
| by ten years of honest, energeti,
and capable business administration
the annual revenue Of the state lant
| department has passed the million dol
| lar mark. Every taxpayer is interest
that. revenue because by every dollar
of its increase the state is able to re-
duce by dollar the tax burden neces-
sary to place upon its citizens Every
father and mother in New Mexico is
interested in the maintenance and in
crease of the state land revenue, be-
cause the great bulk of 1t goes to the
maintenance of our common school
system, and every additional dollar
earned by or received from the lands
adds just that much to the increase
in efficiency of our schools,
The state land office is no place for
a politician, or for political influence
or prejudice or pull. The stockmen
and farmers who lease the lands and
who pay rental for them are of all
political faiths.- They are all entitled
to the same treatment. Under the adj
mlnistration of the past ten years they
have been getting a squar deal. They.
will insist that politicians and politics
be kept out of the land department,
Their personal interests are at stake.
So are the personal interests Of the
taxpayers and the school children.
The democrats Numbered in select
ing their state ticket, from top to bot
tom. They had an opportunity to Of
leI 10 lHc NUttiS d tiCJNeI VI StloH6,
capable men. For the most part the
strong and capable men were over
looked, or forced into the discard by
convention manipulation. Nowhere did
they make a graver mistake than in
their nomination for state land COM
missioner. gsk t&
MR. DAVIDSON, the democratic NOM
inee, ran for the same office two years
ago He was overwhelmingly beaten,
largely on his own record and because
Of promises he made during the cam
paign, which served to convince con-
sentative men everywhere that he
could not be depended upon for fair,
safe, business administration of the
great land holdings and that he could
on basis Of politics and favoritism.1
He has not improved his standing or
his qualifications during the two years
since his defeat During that period
he has been an active bidder at state
land sales, and has made at least one
purchase of state lands. for specula- /
tive purposes There was nothing
wrong in Mr.. DAVIDSON, private citi- I
zen, bidding at state land sale, and
there was no wrong in his buying the
land for speculation, in the case in
which he was the highest and best
bidder But the idea OF electing as
land commissioner an active specuia-
tor in lands, and one who has been
engaged in specializing in purchases
OF state lands, will not appeal to state
land users, tax payers or parents or
school children. Mr.. Davisson is an
active politician lie defeated the best
man the democrats had for the job,
w. N. Atkinson because he knew bet
ter how to work convention politics.
The Republican convention went on
exactly the opposite theory in nomin-
atlng land commissioner. 1t side
tracked all the politicians and other
for the nomination ana
drafted competent business man.
Nelson A. Field, the republican NOM
inee, knows the lands of this state
through years of personal contact and
study. He knows land values. He
knows the livestock industry because
he is a successful stockman and has
been in that business in New Mexico
for thirty years. He has never been
SPECTATOR and has no speculative IN
terests. He is under no obligations
political or otherwise. He will select
D corps Of assistants, not on basis OF
political debts. but for their knowl-
edge of the lands and because they
must be efficient in order to meet his
standards. His integrity is beyond
question. So is his fairness.
There is no question which is the
safer man to elect to this office, with
is income of more than million dol
lars year, its control of ten million
icres of land, and its great power over
he welfare Of hundreds Of state land
Users. and thousands Of taxpayers and
school children.