Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-09-01
COVE ERNORS WILL
/, co To NATIONAL
: 'ITAL To GET
FEDERAL LANDS
Encouraged By Success Of Wo-
men Who Won By Lobbying
State Executives VIII Follow
Example.
LARRAz0L0 WON AT
SALT LAKE MEETING
Showed Governors Of Other
States Injustice 70 Western
ComnonweaIthS OF Federal
Control,


tarScIA coHasasosussca TO .oRsINs IousNALi
Santa Fe, Aug. 3l.-Before the year
is out the governors of the states will
proceed to Washington to have con-
gress pass legislation that will cede
the S27,000,00o acres of public lands
to the states, They have evidently
learned the lesson taught by the Mill
tant suffragsts and will camp on the
trail of the federal lawmakers until
justice is done.
Governor O. A. Larrazolo, who re-
turned last night from San Diego, Los
Angeles. Salt Lake City, Yellowstone
Park and Denver, declared this morn
! ing that he had been successful be-
yond expectations in unifying senti-
ment of state executives IN favor of
ceding the lands to the states. He
seized the psychological moment dur
ing the deliberations at the coferenee
of governors of the states at Salt Lake
and gives Gouvernor Sproull of Penn
sylvania praise for aiding him to suc-
cess.
Billion for Highways.
The motion had been made to ask
congress for grant OF a billion dol
lars for highway construction instead
of half billion as was first proposed.
Governor Larra2oio saw the time had
come to force the issue. He arose and
congratulated the states that could
take advantage of such q grant, espe-
cially the eastern states which had
come into their own. all the lands
within their borders being productive
and taxable Then turning to the west
ern governors, he said that unfortu-
nately, a grant of a billion dollars for
roads by congress would do no good
to New Mexico, as New Mexico al
ready groans under the taxation 1t
must bear and canot match such huge
sums as would be available under
billion dollar grant Then he turned
to Governor Spry of Utah. to the gov
ernor of Idaho, TO governors of other
western states, and asked whether
their states could match the millions
of dollars that would become availa-
BILE under congressional act.
They all shouted. NO, our taxes.
too, are all that we can bear" Then
Governor Iarrazolo pointed to q REM
edy. lie showed how unjust, how un-
fair It is that in the western states
there should be hundreds of millions
of acres that are kept nonvproductive,
that pay no taxes, yield no revenues,
and asserted that the only decent
thing for the federal government TO
do Is to cede the public lands to the
states. Then 1t would be possible for
the western states to match dollar for
dollar the congressional grants for
highways. He showed that the pub
lie lands yield no revenue to the fed
eral government but on the contrary
cause annual deficits that run into
the millions of dollars.
New Mexico Example.
On the other hand. the state of
New Mexico is now receiving net rev.
enue of a million dollars a year and
Is successfully administering it's own
lands at a cost of less than per cent
of the gross income. Governor Lar
razolo then offered an amendment to
the billion dollar proposition so that
1t would include a request for the
cession of public lands to the states
Governor Sproull in an eloquent
speech seconded the amendm ant and
emphasized the injustice to New Mex
leo especially. OF the government re-
tanning lands that had been conquered
from savagery by the people of New
Mexico The convention went wild
and unanimously adopted the amend
ment. Governor Larrazolo then read
kilograms from the national good
roads convention and the National Au-
tomobile association. which had both
passed resolutions asking cong ess to
eede the remaining public lands to
the states and thus make them reve-
nue. producing and taX-paylng, Gov
ernor Larrazolo was elected president
Of the League of Public Land States
and Everett Young secretary Both
are at work now on a program and
plan of procedure which includes a
visit by all of the governors Of the
union to Washington to persuade the
legislators there to pass the necessary
legis alton. 1t is expected that con-
gress will willingly accede to the de-
mand, which would otherwise be made
an issue IN the national campaign
next year.