Taiban Valley news., 1921-04-01
WHAT THE LEGISLATURE
FAILED TO MAKE GOOD

Santa Fe, March 23.-The three
outstanding issues in the state cam
paingn last November were: which
political party vii lgive the people of
the state workable direct primary
which.will equahze and reduce the tax
burden? which will end the gerryman-
der of the legislature and give the
state an honest arrangement of leg
islatiye districts?
From the platforms of the two par
ties and from the pronouncements of
their leaders, it was thought that they
were in conformity on the question OF
primary. Both platforms announ-
ced for primaries for the selection OF
county officers and for delegates to
district and state conventions. But
both candidates for governor express
ed personal preference fo ra state
wide primary for the selection of all
candidates.
The republican party succeeded in
electing governor and majority of
both houses of the legislature. Into
its hands was entrusted the task of
drafting and passing primary law
which would at least carry out the
platform pledge, and which might
even go as far as the governor had
indicated he desired to go.
The result wa sthe greatest legis-
lative farce that the state has ever
seen. Both branches of the Iegisla-
ture passed statewide primary law;
but no primary law of any kind was
concurred n by the two houses. In
both instances, the statewide primary
passed was introduced originally by a
democrat, although nthe house R. L.
Baca couied the provisions Of the
Hartell bill.
The house passed the Baca bill; the
Senate, the Sellers bill However, the
senate, realizing its mistake, recon-
sdered its action on the Sellers bill
and passed a diluted county measure
which followed no platform plank or
promise. The matter was allowed to
stand there and no effort was made to
secure compromise which would
pas through both houses.
The gerrymander of legislative dis
tricts wa sallowed to stand, because,
as republicans frequently expressed
it, "We couldn't improve on t." Be
cause of its workings, the election of
democratic governor will lont neces-
sarily mean democratic legislature,
as was shown in the campaigns of
1911 and 1915.
Toward the equalization Of the tax
burden, few feeble steps were taken;
but the big vital steps were not even
approached. The weakest link in the
assessment chain is the lack of a pro-
fessionalized assessment service. The
special revenue commission, dominat-
ed by republicans, pointed that out.
1t asked the legislature to make the
local assessor appointive and to pre-
scribe civil service requirements for
holding the office. The republican
Legislature fatty refused to do away
with the Assessment cinch" which
can be made to produce results on
election day.
By the utterances of Governor
Mechem during the campaign, the re-
publican party was virtually bound
to the adoption Of the ad valorem
system for valuing mines and mineral
property. At first the legislature re-
fused to permit an ad valorem valua-
ton, but were finally driven to it.
They stood firm upon the adoption of
the valuation once made, however.
In other words, the appropriated
$4,000 for valuation which, when
completed, the tax commission can
completely ignore when assessing min
eral property.
Thus the three great issues stand
as they were. The direct primary is
postponed two more years. The ger
rymander is probably continued for
ten years; or until after the publica-
tion of another census. The tax
burden; with an increased state levy,
will remain upon the small taxpayer,
while the mines will receive the same
liberal treatment they have always
been accorded.