Arizona republican., 1920-10-10
Nnt Partisan Issue

Not the democratic party of the state but the democratic state ticket and democratic politicians the defensive in the present campaign en- gaged in the enterprise of trying to prove, what? that tho land department is not rotten. but that Governor Campbell the republican candidate for re- election should bear some share. necessarily very small share of the responsibility for its rottenness Suppose they do succeed in that they will have shown the responsibility of the governor is only onc-ffth of the responsibility Four ffths of t win stnl democratic shoulders, on those of Mir simms their candidate for governor of Mr. Ross their candidate for secretary of state and of the two other democratic members of the land board which consists of four democrats republican, the last a hopeless minority.
 Tho public should know. doubtless does know. how the land department became the issue of the present campaign. It made one last May by Attorney General Jones' he intended it to be an issue only the democratic primary campaign and not in the general campaign. his own political purposes and not for the purifying of the department. In letter devised by him and signed by him. Mir. Ross and Auditor Boyce the operations of the office of the land commissioner denounced as rotten and the resignation of the commissioner was demanded. f...
 r Is of little moment now that the purpose of tho attorney general was only to further his own ambition the nomination for governor by creating an issue which would cstop a similar amb- ton on the part of Mir. smms whose chief packers were the land commissioner and his chief deputy. Ben R. Clark.
 Now. we have here a denouncemcnt of Inc com missioner by three of the democratic members of the land board who deranded Che resignation or tho removal of tho commissioner. These three would havo been sufficient to force his removal and that would have been donA but for the fact that Mir. Ross. under pressure withdrew his name from the letter and ranged himself with MT. simms in sup port Of tho commissioner And. there the gov crnor without any interest in tho democratic row. who declined take part in tho removal of the commissioner or any other officer without proper hearing.
 AIr. Boyce Of the three signers of the letter alone has stood by his guns. He could have had no ultcrior motive in signing that denunoatory letter. such the attorney general and Mir. Ross must have had. Mir Boyce was not a candidate election. It is. therefore to be presimed that he believed what he was signing and have heard nothing from him to indicate that he does not co believe.
 Since then. in the face of that letter. signed by three who are candidates the demo- cratic ticket. the democratic party council has de- carcd its confidence in the office of the land missioner. Would 1t have done so if Mir. winsor instead of Mir. simms had received the democratic nomination for governor We it would not have done so 1t could not have done for Mir. winsor's primary campaign was made upon the issue of need of a sweeping reform in the admnistra- ton of the state lands. Mr. wnsor very much in earnest that. He backed by his own excellent record the head of tho land department before the creation of the irresponsible. ex-offcio land board. a device politicians big cattlemen Co put wlnsor of office that the state lands might bo made the paythngs of politics and cupdity MT winsor the bitter enmity of tho large cattcmen and others who had desgns the state lands It was largely through their efforts that he was defeated and Mr. simms whose record was approved by them nominated
 Now MT. Jones engaged in. what? A defense of tho administration of the state lands? Nothing of the sort. He could not be engaged with his own written words of last May before him. He il only trying to show that it was the vote of th governor that prevented the removal of the com missioner without hearing. That is admitted Tho governor had given notice that he would no participate in the firing of the commissioner withou a thorough investigation. and to date there has bee no comieted investigation.
 Mir Jones and other democratic politicians ar
 also citing from the records that the in tn meetings of the board, on policies and questions c efcctng leases other disposition of the state and did not often vote in opposition to his democrat associates. But these records are within a perio previous to the blow-up of last May. Since the there have been few meetings of the board an ,,o.rb the governor has endeavored to change of policy to prevent the accretion of lare tes of lands in private control he has been stead ,buarted by the majority; in fact in that effort b,s had the support only of MT. Boyce.
 Previous to last May the ex-offcio members ,be hoard Iet things rock along in the land depar ,,ent with but little attention from them. Thous ,tt t,,olved culpabnity the part of the boal a, ,r,. |, natural incident of such unnatural ar ,rresponslble arrangement for the safeguarding
 ,,. sfate.s heritage. The democratic members
 ,t, hoard had little interest in the commissions .fae. except as a repository for deserving dem