The copper era and Morenci leader., 1919-02-14
POLITICS VS.
 HIGHWAYS
To the Legislative Assembly, State of Arizona
 Phoenix, Arizona.


 Phoenix, Arizona.
 Gentlemen:
 Take highway construction out of politices,'' is a wish often e~- pressed, but rarely considered. It is possible to take politics out of high way construction, but impossible to take highway construction out of poli- tics. Apparently paradoxical, but nevertheless true. When employees are engaged or discharged. from engi- neer to laborer, on the basis of their ability and not on account of their party affiliations, then politics will have been taken out of highway cor- struction.
 Any one at all familiar with the pc litical history of the country or with state highway administration in the various states must know that you cannot take state highway organiZa- tions out of politics. The political affiliations of the appointive author ity has been reflected in the major ity on every State Highway Board CT Commission ever created. And so it will be in Arizona. When the Supreme Court was called upon to decide a legal question involving the Presi- dency of the United States, where there was democrat and a republi- can claimaut, every member lined up on the side of his political preference.
 If it be true that politics may be taken out of actual highway construc- tion but is impossible of elimination from the organization of State High way Boards or Commissions, how may the former be accomplished and the influence of the latter reduced to minimum? By a State Highway Board of or more members whose terms expire in succeeding years and whose tenure of office is not likely to be interrupted by subsequent legis- lation. This is not so easy Of ac- complishment as it would appear. The Legislature of the State of New York created such a Highway Con- mission A following Legislature and the Governor were of different poli- tical faith and they promptly repeal ed the law and the entire Commits sion with it, creating in it's place a Highway Commissioner with a long term There was another political upheaval and New York got another highway law with three Highway cor. ..nissioners before that poor demo fcfsf' had served but s two measly years of his long term In the statutes of Connecticut and Virginia Highway Engineer Commissioners have served as long as eighteen con- tinuous years In states where one political party is predominant few changes have occurred in state highway organizations but in states subject to frequent political changes highway organizations are as ire ouaDtlV renewed.
 i You are about to enact a lew ere ating a State Highway Board to su pervise the expenditure of vast sums 1 Of money-tens Of millions of dollars - covering a period of many years : Considering the magnitude of the un dertaking-far and beyond any eyel i before conceived of in this state-tht i temporary perogative of any official no matter how exalted his position paies into insignificance beside it An undertaking so great that presunl ! ptiCus indeed is he who would de mand the choosing of every individl al official having vote in its dlreo tion and who collectively would cor trol it for years to come. "Rande
 unto Caesar the things that are Cae
 sal s'' but have a care that in you generous desire to be fair you do no U overstep the bounds of reason an common sense. The Governo
 stcuid be authorized to name a
 many members of the State Highwa
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