Arizona republican., 1919-03-24

may not be increased or diminished | during the term of the officer
 Tt is at once seen that the consti- l tutional restriction is an abridgmeGt of the lawmaking power to either in- crease or diminish that compensation of the officer during his term, and which was prescribed for and as an incident to the office at the beginning of the term; that during his term of office the public officer enjoys eXemp ton from legislative interference and control over the amount of his com pensation, and at the same. time has a curb put upon his activities in the direction of an increase in compenSa- ton, whether such activities be worthy or perniciouS. In fine he may devote his attentions to the performance of his official duties, unembarrassed by any feeling that his worth is being niggardly regarded in money, and the offspring of such a feeling which us- uaily moves in the direction of in creased compensation. At the same time there is the counterpart which attends him with a security from the wretched thought that others may be- come imbued win the conviction that his stipend is much too large for one of his capacity, and thus move with the pruning hook by way of economy in the public funds. or that desire which might in time find congenial soil in the breast of a people desiring to get rid of an officer altogether. and to that end take away that compen- saton which he hath.'
 Having those basic reasons before me, and without attempting to con- lecture as to what may be the deci- sIon of the court upon cases now before It, there is no escape from the con- clusion that Senate Bill No. 36 had its birth in the minds of present office holders who were imbued with the hope that such decision would be favorable to present claimants of increased sala- ries, and so become the foundation for a claim that the amendment contained in the senate bill takes the place of the original Chapter 61. and thus place present officeholders upon the salary laws of the state as being presently entitled to the increased salaries men tioned.
 Believing that Senate Bill No. 36 was intended to speak for the present rather than for future incumbents of office, that intended effect standing alone would be sufficient reason for disappearing the bill, but coupled as it is with aspects of future uncertainty as to it's actual effect-coupled with a still further feature that in the case of the commissions, and the supreme court judges, the bill, if it becomes a law, would or might have the effect of increasing the salary of the first newly elected commissioners and judges and leaving two members of each commits sion and of the court serving at the old salaries-altogether the bill throws more confusion in the question of the future amount of salaries of state off, cials than now exists and still un- settled and undecided.
 The last phase of the situation, seems to require a constitutional amendment to the end that when any future salary law might operate to increase the salary of one member of the court or commissions, there may be no possible uncertainty upon the question that all members be equally treated regardless of the length of unexpired terms of of flee due to present provisions as to altering terms, one term expiring every two years.
 Whatever apparent hardship may be worked upon those whose hopes may have been temporarily quickened by prospects of presently increased remu neration for their public services, il may be dealt with by answering that 1 they will still get the compensation which was in their minds when they aspired to their present offices-as- pirations not subdued by the then pres | ent increased cost of living.
 | tot, ties in the situation when disposed ot | in one way or the other by supreme | court decision in pending cases. the l question of whether present salaries will be fair and just to persons who may be elected to office as the result 1 of future elections. the question O. surely protecting the public by preserv- ing unchanged the amounts which th' public had in mind when they elected | present officers: all these and othel questions incidental to the state salary matter, may be settled by the people themselves under their reserved legis | lative powers; may be so settled tha full effect be given to the provisions against increase or decrease of salarie 1 during an incumbents' term of office and at the same time permit the peopl | of this state a voice in the matter o | salaries, which was denied them Whel | Chapter 61 of Session Laws of 1917 wa | enacted with an emergency clause | Present and future officials have noth ing to fear in the action of the people should that action be necessary to tn end that every state official be fairl, recompensed for public services ren dered.
 The rewarding generosity of tn
 people of this state will be taxed t
 an extent not to be overlooked, whe
 called upon to provide for public em
 ployment to the unemployed of tn
 state. Justice to the public demand
 conservation of public funds wher
 possible to so conserve without hard
 ship. that hardship to any of the de
 serving unemployed may not folloN
 from an absence of such conservation No returned soldier nor other ma
 should be permitted at this time to re
 fleet when unemployed, unto him tha
 hath shall be given, and from him tha
 hath not shall be taken, even tha
 which he has"
 Respectfully,
 THOMAS l.. CAMPBELL,
 Governor , naH%,t RsH