The Winslow mail., 1920-10-22
CAMPBELL'S CAMPAIGN

attack upon the Democratic state of
ficers and in a last desperate effor
for reelection. he states:
1. That the state land leasing bill i:
vicious measure.
z That the great cattle industry
has been engaged for the past two
years in grabbing public land.
8. That the land commission is cor
rupt
4. That the land commissioner Will
! liam Moeur, is positively inefficient
and probably corrupt.
S. That the only method of saving
the situation is by the reelection of
himself and the entire republican
ticket
In view of these charges the fol-
lowing extract from speech made
by Governor Campbell before the Ari-
zona Cattle Growers Association in
Tucson, during the month of Febru-
- VI IAilo yCdI, Is illuminating. q.
Among other things, the Governor
stated:
But | can not refrain from making
remark regarding this particular de-
partment of our state-O refer now
TO the state land department)-it
would not be fair to you and it would
not be fair to the other members of
that board, of which chance to be
ex-officio chairman, unless | said a
word about it. In the first place, the
state land board is composed of the
hVe major executive officers of the
state. They are supposed to have it
in their charge, and also the formu-
lation of the policies which direct the
state land department. AS a matter
OF fact, they do nothing of the kind.
All of that is entrusted to the care
OF their agent, the state land commits
sioner, and any success that We have
attained in the last five years in that
department is due entirely to the com
missioner of that department and not
to the state land board. We have no
policies in the state land department
that know of, except those that are
recommended from time to time bv
the commissioner, and he is the agent
and the man who admin sters them.
II there is any credit due the state
land department, want it to be
placed where it belongs and that is
with the commissioner, Mr.. Moeur
(Applause0 On the other hand. if
there is any criticism that should be
pointed toward the state land board,
want that credit to be placed where it
belongs, and that, too, is with the
commissioner. Uaughter.) Know
ing practically nothing of the admin
istration of affairs of the Land DEPART
ment, the members of the board hav-
ing sufficient to do in their offices to
keep their time fully occupied, pay
very little attention to it, and 1 am
very frank to say to you that we are
simply an impediment in the way of
the administration of that DEPART
ment. The only things that are re-
ferred to us for action are those from
aggrieved citizens who want some,
thing they think they are entitled to,
or from group in community Then
the pressure becomes SO great that the
commissioner desires our counsel,
which, in the parlance of the state
house, is interpreted by that we'll
known borderline saying, "pass the
buck" There was suggestion made
to me by one Of your very prominent
members about leg islation l believe
that is the thing that this conference
should do. 1t is the biggest thing left
for you to do in the way of legisla-
t1on for your interests, and in your
interests the interests of the state, be-
cause again l reiterate, as l have said
many times, that you are the second
biggest industry in this state in pro-
duction, and you are the second larg-
est association in numbers in the
state, so that you should be consider
ed. The majority legislation in this
state that should be brought to the
attention of your legislators is to re-
lieve the land commissioner from the
dictates of a state land board and
make that office elective for a long
term of years, say, six years. In the
suggestion there is nothing new, be-
cause practically every other state
with state land department has an
elective commissioner 1 am quite
sure that number of you do not ap
preciate how necessary for your ow L
welfare it is for you as citizens of II le
state to have a voice in the select ior