Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-07-13

Roswell, N. NJ, July 9, 1921.
The Editor Of the Albuquerque
Journal,
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Dear Sir
1 have read with great interest
your editorial on THE School Tax
Limit" in your issue of July Srd.
In 1t YOU support Mr.. John Con-
way and attack Mr.. NR. F. Asp
lund for their opposition to and
support of constitutional amend
ment No. 8, providing for tax limi-
tations, Your criticism is confined
however, to Mr.. Asplund's state
ment that teachers were oeins
paid as high salaries here as else
where. You base your support OF
Mr.. Conway and your opposition
to the amendment on the PROPOSE
ton that, whatever the economic
situation in the state may be. There
should be no limit to the amount Oh
taxes which can be levied FOR pay
| ing teachers salaries.
I have no doubt but that Mr.
| Asplund is quite able to answer
for himself. No man In the state
is better equipped to discuss edu-
cational matters nor Is there any
one who has our legitimate edu-
| cational needs nearer his heart'
| The question Is, however, not
personal one nor political one
| though, unfortunately. 1t Is being
made both personal and political
and your editorial tends to accent
uate that phase of the matter.
The charges which Mr.. Conway
makes and which you support, 10
the effect that the amendment is
| the child of certain INSCRIPTIONS
and cold-blooded corporations who
| have no interest In schools ana
that the Taxpayers Association Is
the creature Of these corporations
| is as YOU know, very unfair. You
name the Ell Pasc and Southwest
ern, the Santa Fe Railroad compa-
MES, the Phelps-Dodge and the
Chino Mining Companies. In the
| first place no one knows better
than you that the Taxpayers AS
ISOLATION and the Revenue Com
mission did not hesitate to attack
what they considered and what
you considered one great funda-
mental abuse, in our taxation sys-
tenn, namely the net production OF
mine tax, because of the erect
that might have on Tax Associa-
ton membership. In the next
place 1t Is not true that these cor
porations are opposing schools or
q fair and equitable and reasonable
school tax rate anywhere. On the
contrary 1t Is true that in many
of the counties where these corpo-
rations mainly are situated the
schools flourish as nowhere else.
Moreover these corporations and
their managers, In most cases,
proud of that fact. At Hurley, San
ia Rita, Dawson and Tyrone, the
schools are, as you must know,
splendid, and their excellence is
due in no small measure to the
personal and intimate interest of
| these same corporations and their
managers In those camps. II you
have not seen the new school
building at Dawson, you should,
and no one is prouder of 1t and It's
high standing than the Phelps
Dodge manager there. These same
people. the Phelps-Dodge Corpora
ton, whom you include in your
list Of undesirables, are noted the
country and the world over for
their benefactions and their high
ideals of public duty. The fact
that they have for years. whether
through unwise counsel or selfish
ness, advocated an unfair mine
tax, should not blind us to tho fact
that most of these big mining COM
panies are organizations of which
the state may we'll be proud and