Albuquerque morning journal., 1921-08-31
THE LAND OFFICE AMENDMENT.

The constitutional amendment, abol!shing the
office of land commissioner and providing for
board of three commissioners 20 be appointed by
the governor should carry.
More than one person should know about what Is
actually going Oh in the land office. A $S00oO,OOO
business should have a board or directors OF hot
less than three persons.
Think of a $4,000 900 bank, run under the alb
soIue dictatorship of one man with supreme author
ity and with advisory board or board OF drectors
1t does not matter who the one man may be- or What
his experience and ability loss and neffcency
are certain to result. 1.-TWO heads are better than
one" Three not too many in deciding the I'M
portant policies of the land office
But think, again of possible one-man system
In a bank and that one selected by ballot in
political election. Think of two men icing placed In
nomination by politicians who are looking to potlca
availability instead of to ability and character In the
election, the head of the ticket alone would COM
mand public attention and this one man would be-
dragged into office because of being on the sue
cessful ticket.
Such system would not work in operating
bank or any other business and If the land office is
ever opened up 1t will be found that it has not work.
ed we'll there, but rather has cost the people hum
dreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars 1t is
out Of the question for it to be otherwise
governor, with the eyes Of the people upon him
and sensible of his oath of office undertakes to pick
a
will be personal credit dscredit to the governor
1t checks the responsibility up to the executive He is
almost certain to act as wisely as he can. II the
people have not been able to select governor fit TO
make this appointment how they expect to select
an unknown at the tail-end of ticket who is fit to
ill the office of commissioner?
The lands and the proceeds derived therefrom, are
a great public trust. The people should regard them
AZ such and should insist upon wise and honest
management
The stock defense of the present system, always
advanced by those who its beneficiaries is that
nothing ever has been proven wrong with the land
office If nothing corrupt in the office, the fact
would remain that the system is wrong and bound
to lead to inefficency.
Something always has been wrong in the land
office The very system which makes it impossible to
check up rumors and either prove or disprove them
Is fundamentally wrong Why the records so Kept
that the facts cannot be had?
The practice of destroying all applications for the
LEASING or purchase of lands except that of the sue
cesstul applicant is fraud in itself and part OF
we'll organized system to conceal fraud and faVorlt-
ism by destroying the evidence from day to day.
Failure to classify the lands as to valuo and char
.e,sr although such classification is authorized by
law IL an evidence of ncompetency or dishonesty
II conceals favorism unless the investigator Is him.
self familiar with the specific land under scrutiny.
Several hundred thousand dollars is always In
the hands of the commissioner. He is our authority
for the statment that this money bears no interest.
Mr.. ]. M. Reynolds, president of the First National
OF Albuquerque admitted that they had some $7o,-
900 Of such money from Mr. Field. without interest
These interest-free deposits running from S4oO.-
900 to in the aggregate. afford from four
hundred thousand to a million reasons for change
In the system. That the public will indure longer.
ehis system is beyond belief.
The legislature may decide whether all three OF
Asss commissioners should be full-time employees
n fixes the CONDENSATION These matters will be de-
cided later by the legislature.
Just now the people must decide, whether they
will break up this old system of political graft