Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-10-20
TWO CANDIDATES.

Probably no cause contributes SO nluc S.t
to many of the defects OF our eovelill,,el,'
as the changing Of public officials mace
Necessary bv the short tenure OF ot1lce
thus # often happens that candidate
who has never held public office, out IS
eminentlv qualified by long business eA-
nerience must acquaint himself with the
details of the office to which he asplfeS
within the short period OF polltlcai
camnaion. It is in the prediction cam
noion that a candidate invariably DIS
piaTs the extent of his grasp of the prop
lens which he will encounter as puolc
official and it is by this test that the pup
lie measures the qualifications OF It's pros
pective servants. .... -.,
From this standpoint the present cam
paien affords an interesting contrast. Mr.
HinkIe, the Democratic CANDIDATE lor
Governor, has had some experience III
nnhlic office while Mr.. Hill, his opponent,
has had none. Mr.. Hinkle began his
campaign with charges of the grossest
extravaganza on the part of the Repuollcc
can state administration and promises OF
economy in the event of his election. AS
the campaign nears it's end, nearly, II not
all the charges made by Mr.. Hinkle nave
been refuted and have been shown to be
grossly inaccurate.
Mr. Hill. in the Inauguration of his
campaign said that he would study the
needs of the people and would make no
promises unless he knew that ne could
fulfill them.
Mr.. Hinke displayed an APPALLING lack
of knowledge, as a candidate Tor Gov
ernor, when he made the charge, 81" he
has repeatedly done, thai torty5two per
cent II the money derived from taxation
is wasted by the state. Mr.. Hill answered
This charge effectively when he said that
The state spends less than six cents OF
every dollar.
When Mr.. Hinkle said:
'In Chavez County, our expense IN
1906 was $4,000; in 1910 it was $320, :
900: in 1921, it was S671 ,000-just think
of that, Can we pay $6,700,00O in ten
wears. in Chavez County and live? Can
we sell our property or do anything with
it? The final result will be, we will be-
gin to lose population and when that be-
gins in New Mexico, Goodnight!
he must have done so without any pre-
yious investigation of the facts, which
would have disclosed to Mr. Hinkle that
Chavez County has been continually under
Democratic control since it was created
thirty-one years ago. We agree with Mr.
Hinkle that such a condition as he de-
cannot continue to exist without serious
consequences.
Mr.. Hinkle's seeming inability to UNI
derstand the relation between facts and
figures is illustrated by his reference to
the conditions existing in San Miguel
County. He said:
'In Las Vegas had the good fortune
TO get the figures on San Miguel County.
They say that's the best governed county
in the United States. In 1912, it was
S224,O0O; in 1915, $235,000; in 1920,
$686,O00; in 1921, S555,
Mr. Hinke might have pointed out that
San Miguel has almost twice as large a
population as his own county, which he
severely criticized, and that it has been
under Republican administration for more
than twenty years. 1t might have been
disastrous to his political aspirations to
have told his hearers that under efficient
Republican management San Miguel has
reduced its tax burden $131 900 in one
year, notwithstanding the fact that San
Miguel County has a larger population
by nearly II 900 people than Chavez
County and that the tax burden per CAPT
ia in San Miguel is less than twenty-five
dollars as against fifty-five dollars for
Chavez County
In like vein is the charge which Mr..
Hinkle has persistently made to the eff
feet that a dirt fill was built through q
lake in Roosevelt County at cost Of
S25, 900 when, as matter of fact the
records of the State Highway Department
show thet this fill actually cost S109.96.
Mr.. Hinkle's whole campaign has been
based on exaggeraton. His character
and reputation preclude any suggestion
that he has any intention either to mis-
lead or to deceive the voters. The
only inference to be drawn from
his flagrantly inaccurate statements
is that he either does not know
or has not taken the trouble to ascertain
the facts. The campaign has therefore
served the useful purpose of demonstrat-
ing Mr.. Hinkle's unfitness for the high
office of Governor and, as the campaign
has progressed, it has been made clear
that in Mr.. Hill the state will have a
public official capable Of constructive