Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-07-20
Tax Payers, Association.

| MT. carl 4. MaSee,
Editor Albuquerque Journal,
Albuquerque, n. NJ.
Dear Sir: l have read with in.
terest the leading editorial in youl
issue of July 10, entitled "WhC
Constitutes the Taxpayers Associa-
ton y in which you ask me, the
president, or Mr.. Asplund, the di-
rector, of the association TO inform
the public, through you, Just who
! the Taxpayers association is, who
are its members and how much
each member contributes to its
support. We should be very glad
to have you call at the office of the
association in Santa Ie, where we
shall be pleased to give. you all this
Information and all other informa-
ton as to the history of the asso-
citation, and its present status and
activities. Mr. Asplund, with my
| cordial endorsement, has already
asked you to call at the association
offices and secure all the informa-
! ton you may desire for yourself
| but you have not done so in spite of
| the fact that you have been at least
once, and, I think, more than once
in Santa Fe since this invitation
was made you.
Until you favor us with such a
call it will not be easy for us to
know just what you desire from
| us in the way of data for your own
| and the public's information. Lists
| of members of the association have
| been published in the Tax Re-
view as have frequent statements
of its receipts and expenditures
and these are at all times available
to its members or anyone else. 1t
| may, perhaps, too, not pc out of
place to say that the public gener-
ally is better acquainted with the
association, its management, its
aims, its work and its membership
than you are, for, even at the risk
of repeating what you editorially
have remarked has so often been
said of you, you have not yet been
very long in New Mexico and there
may be some things the public I'M
derstands which you have not yet
found out.
One of these things, venture, is
this:
That the Taxpayers association,
now in the fifth year of its exist
ence, has never been and cannot be
justly accused directly or by in
nuendo of favoring any group or
class of taxpayers over any other
group Of taxpayers, whether they
be or be not mem bers of the asso-
citation.
Another thing is this that what
. lYn Ia Ia,
done in the way of curtailing eX-
travagance, correcting leVies, pro-
noting efficiency, preventing waste
or in any other way has identified
each and every taxpayer in the
state to some extent.
The Santa Fe Railroad company,
the Chino Copper company, the st. |
Louis, Rocky Mountain Il Pacific
company have all been members of
the association from its inception
and contributed towards its sup
port in proportion to the taxes they
pay, that is to say on the basis of
three-fourths of one per cent Of |
the taxes paid by them for the !
previous year. That is the basis |
on which everyone is admitted to !
membership in the organization |
unless the fee amounts to less than |
three dollars, which is the mini !
mum fee. The Phelps Dodge COM
pany, which owns the Dawson coal
mines and the Ell Paso & South |
not hitherto been members of the |
association, but, l am glad to say,
either have or are about TO join as !
members. These are the only |
names mentioned in your editorial.
There are many other companies |
who are members of the association |
railway companies, mining com
panies, cattle companies, sheep |
companies and mercantile COM
panies and there are a good num-
Der of individual members, a full
list of which we shall be glad to
show you. Each member of the
association contributes to its sup
port in proportion to the taxes /,
paid by that member whether those
taxes are on an assessed valuation
of seven million dollars or seven
hundred dollars and each such
member has one vote at the annual
meeting Of the association.
In regard to the proposed road
bond issue of two million dollars
to be voted upon at the coming
election about which you are sus-
pending your judgment, my own
position which, in this instance, re-
fleets the position of the members
of the executive committee of the
association, and believe, that of a
majority of the members of the as
ISOLATION, is this:
That the public has been and is
being furnished through the state
highway commission and other
sources with arguments in favor of
mourning such Indebtedness.
That the Taxpayers association
is the only statewide organization
OF standlng, official or unofficial,
now in a position to put before the
public arguments against this bond
ssue.
That there are arguments on
both sides of the question. y
. / am of the opinion that a ma
iority of the members of the assoc
citation are convinced that it would
De mistake to vote these bonds at '
his time, but what the association !
= tIyiHS u 10 is W get tne IdCtS g
pro and con clearly before the :,
Voters SO that each voter can make !
up his. mind for himself what is the !
,est for him to vote on the ques-
ion. If you can find the time to ,
'ead the published records of the r
association which the director will :
De glad to send you even If you do {
rot do us the honor of becoming
,ne of our members, you will find 4
hat the statements and the posi- :
ion of the state highway commits
ion in regard to road construc- /
ion have always been given full Fl
in such publications I
md that the position of the usso- =
,iation has very consistently been r
me in favor of road building in the z