Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-07-15

AS to the road question, there
is no use of approaching that mat
ter in any other spirit than one
of trying to find reasonable way
out of the present situation l
believe that large share OF the
cost of road maintenance should
be charged to those who are di-
rectly benefited-this charge to
take the form of higher motor Ii
censes. The conviction has at last
taken foot in the public mind that.
without some adequate method or
maintenance, the building of cost
,ly highways is worse than futile.
Many miles of costly federal aid
highways already have been estab-
lished in the state and many hum
dreds of miles more of them are
planned. Many of them run
Through undeveloped lands, which
pay no taxes.
Must Maintain Roads.
The money reasonably available
for road expenditures in the next
few years must either be redis-
tributed so that q larger share OF
1t can be used for maintenance in
stead of new construction, or else
these costly roads built will rap
idly pass into a deplorable state
of disrepair. I am one of those
who insist that every highway
project should be financed for
maintenance as we'll as construc-
ton, and that highways should be
constructed only as rapidly as they
can be so financed Moreover, the
road budget, so far as state fl
nances is concerned, must be ma
terially reduced. The present pro-
gram cannot be endured. There
is nothing to warrant 1t.
Our constitution provides: 1.-THE
supreme executive power Of the
state shall be vested in the gov
ernor, who shall take care that
the laws be faithfully executed"
Those who drew up the constitu-
1lon would not have adopted this
provision unless it was meant to
be effective. 1t is highly essen
tial that candidates be named for
this high office who are deter
mined that this provision of the
constitution shall be carried out;
for the growing disregard of law
Is more and more undermining the
Integrity of our institutions. The
situation is not, in my opinion,
adequately met by those who con-
tend that killing taxes is due to
raising levies over which the state
government has no control. The
fact is that many charges are i'm
1,Ng tof a
road levfes, health levies, certain
educational levies, besides the reg
tAlar state levies. Moreover, the
people, and with good reason, look
TO the supreme executive OF the
state" for effective state wide
leadership; parties are to be charg-
ed with the responsibility Of max
ing such leadership responsible. If
there is no power actually vested
in the executive authority to en-
force this provision of the con-
stitution, then he must assume the
power or secure 1t from the legls-
lative authority.
ny Must Support Governor.
~ OF course, a governor must be
SUPPORTED by efficient and SYM
pathetic colleagues. 1t is idle to
expect that he can act with salts
faction to himself or to the peo-
pie If that be not the case. There
would be nothing complicated
about administering the affairs of
the state. providing the executive
group in Santa Fe were chosen pri-
marily for their ability and be-
cause they could, and would. work
together in thorough accord. Here,
again, real cooperation is abso-
lutely essential. You cannot make
q good government at first. We
have plenty of law. 1t is right
thinking that is most needed.
n. State Land Commissioner.
Next to the governor, the COM