The copper era and Morenci leader., 1919-01-17
FOR CONVEYING 0F
 LEGISLATURE
Believe Change in Primary System is Contemplated; New Highway Program ;is Being Mapped Out; Candidates for the Speakership.

Phoenix, Jan. 3.-The fourth state legislature of Arizona convenes on January 13.
 The coming session is expected to be far more conservative in tone than any of the other legislative gatherings since statehood. The republicans have gaained. a few seats, while number of radicals among the Demo- cratic majority will be missed. The governor will be a republican. So it is very probable that few measures will be pushed of the sort that gave the other legislatures their principal fame.
 To Change Primary System
 The Democratic state party coun- cil has demanded that law that will restrict party primary elections to party members, asserting that Repub- licans have been allowed to register as Democrats and thus complicatS the choice of. candidates within the majority party. It is believed there will be little objection to a law that either will abolish direct primary or make it strictly partisan. A strong Democratic sentiment favors abolition on the ground that the present pri- mary system has served to allow, the nomination of many unfit men, thus undermining the party prestige and permitting the election of Republi- cans who had been chosen in Caucus especially for their qualifications. Par ticularly, is there complaint over the diminishing number of leading citi- zens in the: legislatures, compared with erritorial days. May Abolish Commission It is probable material changes will be made in the laws establishing the commission of public institutions, and it is possible the commission will be abolished altogether as an expensive and relatively inefficient luxury. Campbell Demands Economy
 Governor Campbell is expected to put the question of economy squarely up to the legislature. Two years ago he urged adoption of a budget sys- tenn similar to the Maryland law, binding the state boards and officials down to specific amounts, in sharp contrast to with the present allow ance of practically unlimited funds to any institution or office that chooses to overdraw. Arizona has achieved , the unenviable distinction of having the most expensive state government within the union, census report, 1 based upcn conditions two years ago giving the Arizona cost, per capita, at $11.24. California and Nevada fol lowed with about $1O each, while | North and South Carolina showed the lowest costs, about s2 per capita in each state. It is believed, also, that 1 the governor will demand a strict audit of every state office with a re-
 port to be made out before the end oi the legislative session.
 Want Highway Program
 Rather opposed to retrenchment
 ideas will be demand upon the legis
 lature by communities and associa tions for the inauguration of more
 comprehensive highway program
 with incidental bonding of the state
 and county for millions of dollars
 These plans call for the creation O state road commission
 Education is subject expected t
 take up much time at the session, ol the basis of bill prepared by teach CTS committee committee that ere ates a non-partisan board of educs tion and that seeks to abolish stat and county superintendencies a elective positions.
 !, Johns May Head Senate
 : The lineup at present indicate /. that A. A Johns, speaker of tn last house, will be president of tn l senate. He may be opposed by Mu
 ford Winsor, but the latter represent l rather the Hunt section of the Dem cTdtlc party, oHe DelleNeu III lhe HI ? Ority in the senate. D. H. ClarldS' Y president last session, again might , c chosen as a compromise, but has bee > put out of the running by a peculia ? line of circumstances. He was a car :. didate for state tax commissioner Ill a til the courts decided there was n
 vacancy in that office His nOmin;
 tion for the senate in Graham count
 could have been taken by either Line