The border vidette., 1919-03-22
WILL HE DO IT?
Governor Has Power to Give Arizona
 Better Highways.

and most deSireS-a modern highway department, through which can be secured an ade quate system of state highways. The chance, however, is a re
 mote one, for it depends entirely upon Governor Campbell, and he has as yet shown no evidence of caring s.s much for highways as he does for his own power and authority.
 Before the legislature adjourn
 ed. it passed Senate Bill No. 1855, which provides for state highway commission, to consist of three high grade business men ofN the state, of known in
 tegrity and ability. These men, under the terms of the bill, are to be appointed by a state high way board, consisting of the governor. the secretary of state, the state treasurer, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house, and it is generally conceded by fair minded people that these officers, who were themselves chosen by the peo- pie, could be relied upon to choose a high grade highway nor Campbell vetoed Senate Bill No. IT, which contained pro visions similar to Senate Bill No. 1855, chiefy-in fact, al though he assigned other req sons, it is generally considered that he did so entirely-for the reason that the measure failed to leave him in sole and unlimit- ed authority over the commis
 sion. Therefore, it is assumed that the same fate awaits the late bill passed by the Legisla- ture, despite the fact that it would provide the most modern machinery for the management of the State Highway Depart ment, and would supply a splen- did fund-$1, 500, ,OOO.OO per year for highway construction, and enable the sta te to take full ad vantage of the splendid federal appropriations available for CO., operation with the states. Gov ernor Campbell's failure to rise to the accession and give his ap- proval to the Legislation before him will undoubtedly meet with the severeSt condemnation, but it is nevertheless more than an even bet that his partisanship and vanity will prevail, and that there will be no highway legis- lation which does not acknowl- edge him as lord and master.
 Anent the highway tangle, the Republican newspapers of Phoe- nix-the Arizona Republican and the Arizona Gazette-have has tened, in their desire to square the Governor with the people, to give out story to the effect that Governor Campbell pro- posed to approve a bill in which George Kingdon of Jerome, Geo. Olney of Phoenix and Judge Frank J. Duffy, of Nogales, would be named as the state highway com mission, but the legislature would not agree. From an absolutely authoritative source the truth of the matter has been learned. As a result of negotiation with two Demo- cratic senators the Governor did agree to approve a bill which would name Kingdom, Olney and Duffy as commissioners, but when the senators, after secur- ing the sanction of their fellow senators to the plan, returned to notify the governor, he advised them that he could that make up bis mind until later. When the hour agreed upon for the announcement of his decision arrived the Governor stated that he still could not make up his mind, and he has not made it up yet, so far as any member of the Legislature has been able to learn. In the meantime, the two houses of the Legislature went ahead and did their duty, and Senate Bill 1855, which is now in the Governors hands, is the result It is very evident that the Legislature was willing to meet the Governor on any reas- enable basis, but the Governor, according to some, was eude avoring to trick the solonS into yielding to his terms, or accord ing to others, his unstable mind and vacillating character were working true to form, and he could not arrive at a decision in time to effect the Legislation