Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-08-25

- vi. W z NtICOlIlt H. anu Will
sustain the battle with every en-
ergy of an aroused and liberty
loving people. our opponents crit.
icize the conduct of the war: they
accuse us of waste of money, and
their smelling committees have
been for months examining every
detail of the government expense.
Where have they found anything
wrong? Investigation after inves-
tigation by hostile partsans has
proven beyond question that the
democratic party has been faithful
to its trust. Yet the republicans
pretend 10 detect a bad odor in the
conduct of the war; perhaps it is
the leftover faint of embalmed
beef and spoiled beans of Spanish
war days.
Affairs In New Mexico.
The administration of state af-
fairs for the past two years has
been a dismal failure. Placed in
power by the people of New Mexi-
co, the republican party has busted
itself with loading the public pay
rolls with useless officials, inject
ing politics into the school system
of the state, despolling the public
lands of the state, passing every
conceivable legislative enactment
that would burden the people,
while maintaining a tender regard
lest the great favored interests be
called on to contribute a fair share
to the burdens of government
While we democrats have suspected
and known these things. we do not
have to prove them, because our
opponents, through the public
press, have admitted that they are
true. They are even now busily
engaged in throwing mud at each
other in our two largest daily news
papers, while we democrats have
sat by and subscribed to both OF
them, lest we miss the revelations
of single issue. We bid them
God-speed in their efforts TO un-
cover republican rottenness in the
state, and we hope that, like the
Kilkenny cats OF historic name,
they will end by eating each other
up.
Our public lands are an heritage
| for our children. They were do
mated to us by the government for
the benefit of education, and such
of them as are left should be res
cued from further exploitation and
placed beyond the reach of specu-
! lators. A sound, conservative and
constructive administration of the
land office Is one of the crying
needs of the day in New Mexico
The republicans have not even at
tempted to do anything with this
| problem, except to make a hurried
| and bunglesome effort to prevent
the facts from reaching the people,
Tax Laws Are Unfair.
Our tax laws are the children OF
republican legislative policy, with
some of them so unjust, unfair and
unconstitutional as to shock the
| policy of the republican party In
it's tax legislation has been either
one Of criminal negligence, or one
of studied effort to tighten the
burden for its favorites at the ex-
pense of the most of us, either OF
which is equally inexcusable. The
| taxation laws passed by recent re-
publican legislatures are alone suf-
ficient to warrant the reputation
and condemnation of that party al
the hands of the people at the COM
ing election. The democratic party
recognizes in questions OF taxation
and tax legislation continuing
problem; one that cannot be solved
over night. or in a spirit of revenge
or selfishness or demagogery-tha'
| it is a problem which challenges
Tour patient, careful and thought
full consideration to the end that
| the burdens necessarily imposed be
equally and fairly distributed; thai
the present laws of this state, per-
hitting legalized tax-dodging, bt
forever blotted from our books.
We must, however, offer TO the
people of this state measures OF
substantial relief in order to be
entitled to their support. They
have a right to know where we
| stand. We should first demand
that the people have a workable
primary election law, by means OF
which the people may nominate
their candidates at the polls. The
days of the De Vargas junta have
passed. Hand-picked tickets nc
longer command either respect or
support; the people are determined
| that the bosses of old and recent
days shall not come back.
We should rewrite the taxation
laws of this state on basis fair 10
great and small, with special priv
| ileges to none. We should bring
| the great and small tax-dodger to
| the bar of justice and make them
| nav their debts to the state with
| out compromise or discount.
Schools Hope Of Nation.
| Our schools are the hope Of this
nation, the earnest Of a free citi-
zenship Of tomorrow. Our chill
dren should have the best in edu-
| cational advantages, and in order
to get this they must be taught by
competent teachers. The teaching
profession is In some respects the
greatest of them all; we owe TO our
unselfish men and women OF the
school room a debt of gratitude
which we have been too slow 70
pay. They should be Adequately
paid, and assured Of permanent
employment II they are to devote
their lives to the training OF our
youth in the ideals and character
OF American citizenship. Our state
| institutions of learning should not
be compelled to stand in the ante
room of the legislature, nat IN
hand, and beg for a pittance too
barely sustain their lives. while
og-rolling politicians trade and
| traffic with their necessities. We
should remove the temptation 10
this abuse by allowing for our
state educational institutions a Ger
tain and fixed levy, to be divided
among them by law, and without
| the necessity Of specific appropria
ton of the legislature at each sue
oeeding term. Politics must DC
kept out Of our schools, or they
will be wrecked.
Favors Budget System.
The haphazord system OF appro..
priations has caused US untold grief