Arizona republican., 1920-10-22
GOVERNOR CAMPBELL SAYS TIE PEOPLE WILL
 SETTLE LAND ISSUE
fspeeial to The RepubIieanl

MORENCI, Ariz., Oct. 21-Declar- ing that the efforts of the Democratic politicians to drop the state land ques- tion as a campaign issue would prove unavailing, Gov Thomas E. Campbeu addressed a large audience here tonight and amid applause said that the state land issue would always be an issue irrespective of who might be elected 10 office. until the matter had been set tied in the interests of the people. NO politician or party can make an issue,
 declared the governor, unless the mat ter at issue is of importance to the people. and the people not only make the issue but settle it. The eftorts or the Democrats 10 drop the state lailu question as an issue must be unaVali- ing until restitution of these lands mas been made to the people
 You can't rob a people of their heritage and get away with it for very long," the speaker added, and before this matter has been settled somebody is going to find himself right up against the buzz saw. It makes no dit- ference whether or not l am reelected
 governor, the fight to have these state lands administered properly Will go Oii'
 the people will see to that
 Governor Campbell quoted from documents to show, he said, that laho sold by the department at $3 an acre a comparatiyelv short time ago, was now being offered for sale by real es- tate men at as high as $35 an acre
 without a penny's worth Of improve ments having been put upon the lanu
 He stated that 10000 acres were sole
 in the Casa Grande valley, unuer t@n' @ direction of Ben Clark, chief aloe 10 lil' | land commissioner, at an average o S5 50 an acre and that many or these | acres were now being offered oy tn' | buyers at from $50 to $60 an acre. Ill | further stated that hundreds and thou
 sands of acres had been leased at lron
 q to 10 cents an acre and the leases sol'
 at from $1 to $10 an acre.
 ssWhv is the state not getting thes
 prices if the land is worth that, ana
 must be worth 1t or the purchasers
 the leases would not pay the orlglna
 leaser those prices. One of the reason
 for these re-sales is that only tn favored few can get these leases troI the department Governor Campoe
 said. "You hire the right attorhe.
 then you have chance, the speaNe
 said, adding that his opponent IasSle us the present system of leasing thes state lands at cents an acre m vas tracts to a few big cattle outIits inc economic theory that this conceh
 
 tration of the state lands in Ie' hands would permit the raising cheaper cattle. "But is it good Tor tn state and the people of the state | have a few rich cattle barons ana tn rest of the people working for them asked the speaker amid applause .T am opposed to the concentratio of these lands in the hands Of a 1eN it robs the little fellow, the noni' steader, the returned soldier ana U people as a whole of opportunity sharing in the land that was give them when Arizona became a stal If robs the little fellow. the hom' I ut,lize this land when reclamation p comes a fact. Is it well for the ere ton of an agricultural commonweaLt and you must turn to agriculture son dav. for the time is coming when U mines. always a wasting asset VIII depleted of their treasures.
 Governor Campbell also replied criticism voiced here by his oppohe aeainst his being away from the gupe material office frequently, shoWn