The Coconino sun., 1926-08-06
WALTER RUNKE OUT FOR
STATE SENATOR OFFICE

Senator Walter Runke announces
that he will be candidate for the of
flee of state senator to succeed him.
self. Senator Runke has filled this
responsible office the past term to
the great satisfaction of both parties,
who found him to be a studious, even
balanced worker for the cause of this
county. The people of his district
feel that the experience gained by
him during the last session of the
legislature will be of great value to
them in the coming session and for
his previous good work desire that
he be rewarded by a second term.
Senator Runke in speaking of his
candidacy, takes the people into his
confidence in an interview as follows:
After more than the usual con-
siderations one may ordinarily give
to such matter as becoming can
didate for a high political office in
the state and county, and at the SO
licitation and advice of friends both
in and out of the party, | am enter
ing the race for reelection to the
state senate.
That Coconino County will have
important interests in the next state
legislature to be represented, con-
served and furthered is manifested
to every voter, and if it has been
true in the past that it is never wise
to: "Change horses in the middle OF
the stream" then it is true now; and
if my fight and experience in the last
Legislature is of benefit to northern
Arizona, I am ardently and whole
heartedly yours for service there
again. / am enthusiastic III the be-
lief with you that there is nothing
too good Tor Coconino, east, west,
north and south.
GAS far back as 1909, when / was
resilient of that large almost unr
developed area known as the Arr
zona Strip" then known as the
Utah Strip" in common with the
good citizens there became an orig
nal booster for the Lees Ferry
bridge. In later years as resident
officer on the Indian reservation
was able to materially assist IN bring-
ing the federal phase of that pro-
iect to a successful conclusion. Arl-
IONA must make good for own fu-
ture's sake and now bring the whole
matter to final conclusion and that
Is make the Lees Ferry bridge
reality. It will afford that entrance
and only logical entrance to that
great future North and South High
way which all Arizona SO mucn
Graves and desires and which VIII
mean so much to our future welfare
and prosperity.
"The educational institutions of the
state which are second to none IN
the quality of the work done, must
not only be efficiently maintained and
supported, but provision must be
made for their future and greater
development and should therefore be
pushed into line with the progress OF
the state which we see ahead.
"Coconino county has been peculi-
arly blessed by Providence in furnish
ing a setting unexecelled among ma
ture's wonders for qualitative edu-
cational institution, and Coconino IN
common with the rest of Northern
Arizona takes pride in the Northern
Arizona Teachers college and VIII
ever remain true to the correctness,
foresight and wisdom of former
state legislators who chose its site
and made possible its present emn-
ence as a school.
"In Glenn Canyon, Coconino county
offers to the state and the Whole
United States the one great damslte
on the Colorado. If AriZona's inter-
ests are to be conserved, development
of the great river must come from the
top downwards and not the reverse.
In that manner and in that way only
will citizens of all states receive a
full measure of the possibilities OF
the development of the southwest
one big natural resource.
LACK of first-hand information and
actual eye-seeing knowledge OF Glenn
Canyons damsite, coupled with the
becloudings of political mis-under-
standings, have kept the possibilities
of that damsite from becoming known
and understood not only by the citi-
zens of our own state, but more so
by the citizens of other states. Il
have stated before and repeat with
out danger of contradiction the asser-
ton that had we built the Lees Fer
rv bridge ten years ago we would
now be building Glenn Canyon dam.
81 favor a small but sufficient
state appropriation by the next state
legislature to defray the expenses of
an official visit in a body of one rep
resentatiye from each county in the
two houses of the legislature with
the governor and his staff to the pro-
posed site of the Glenn Canyon dam;
the Lees Ferry bridge site can be
covered at the same time with the
proposed north and south highway;
in order that the state may have
first hand knowledge on which to base
future action.
"In short, l believe, Coconino coun-
ty has a program of vital interest to
the state as well as herself; and a
program too which can be put across.
I'm becoming a candidate for re-
election | have no political ends to
serve, and my only desire is one to
render what service | can for the fu-
ture good of Arizona and Coconino
county /"