Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-01-28
BAD-FAITH GOVERNMENT.

The Journal wishes to talk to your pocket-book.
Every honest man wants TO pay his just debts. but
none wishes to be robbed. For every dollar he
spends he wishes equivalent, whether it be in
goods or services received in the quality of gov
ernment obtained.
The who seeks by the OF undue power
to obtain something for nothing in government; the
who tries by manipulation to pay less than his
just share of the of maintenance is first cousin
to the highwayman
When one man pays less than his just proper
tion of the cost of government it means that some
other men pay more than their share. So the man
who uses political force to evade steals from the
pockets Of those who accept what Is charged as
necessary and inevitable
There two ways to decrease your personal
burden of taxation: one is to get together a gang
which is strong enough to force officials to grant
unfair exemptions; the other is to force everyone
to come equtably on to the tax rolls and pay his
share.
The trouble with New Mexico, from the stand
point of income Is that the former method has
been the one in vogue. Men have sought to evade
rather than compel all to share the burden. This
has been done through a political system which the
Journal has fit to denonlinate the gang. The
rank and file of the people have been their victims.
What the state needs is a public sentiment which
will no longer endure any such unconscionable
method, Public opinion should force officials to
put all property the tax rolls at its reasonable
value. Then the burden would be justly distributed.
New Mexico has been better off at the "fau-
Get" The waste of money has been great. There
has been too much regarding of a public office as
a private snap BY extravaganza corruption the
money you have paid into the public treasury has
wasted in streams
This, too, is the fault Of public sentiment. Off
cials do this because public opinion will tolerate It,
Men will respond to the party shibbQ.eth regardless
t4l,f ,,ty,n.
pie demand economy, efficiency and good faith in
public expenditures they will not get these things.
The Journal has concluded that the whole sys-
tenn in New Mexico is so permeated with the spirit
of Indifference to the people that the correction
Of the evil bo brought about by any slow
process Of elimination II a bad man is defeated
the man who takes his place is so completely at the
mercy of the system in that he Is utterly
helpless This explains the inertness of the present
governor whose personal intentions are not bad.
For any man to defy the system is suicidal The
public has witnessed the ordeals of the Journal be-
cause of its protests against the evil methods in
public affairs
Whether right-minded republicans are to rise
up and completely cleanse their organization and
make 1t responsive to the public need, the people
to the democratic party for the purpose of
administering rebuke singing that reorganiza-
tion will be necessary remains to be seen.
Certain 1t is that the only route to good, econom-
ical government is through complete houseclean-
ing. Public sentiment must substitute good-fath
government for the present bad-faith control by
political combine
Gentle reader. It is useless for you to protest
against present evils unless you ready TO CO.
operate in the conventions and election day to
correct them. If right minded people be divided
half-and-haf, with the republicans neutralzing
the votes of the democrats, it may be expected that
the ignorant. the pliable and the corruptble will be
used the balance of power to perpetuate bad
government
No national issue is involved. It should be the
patriotic people, who demand decency, against the !
gang and its pliable cohers. If the people want
better government they know how to get it.