Arizona weekly miner., 1875-10-08
CHIEF JUSTICE DUNNE.

as sceins our lTleHu Juuge Dunne, ate
 attaining to the eminence of Chief Jus
 flee by his talents, industry and faultless life
 give way to an unreasoning prejudice anC
 prostrate himself in the dust at the feet o
 the bgoted horde who have, as We ar,
 forced to believe, conspired to break dowr
 the free school system of America, in the in
 terest, if not at the command, of foreign
 potentate, and having avowed that this was
 the only charge we had to make, in answer
 to the Judges strictures on our remarks, il
 now becomes our duty as a journalist, since
 Judge Dunne's worst fears are about to be
 realized in an attempt in his own district to
 remove him from office, to reiterate and re-
 state the position of this paper pending the
 controversy.
 We think he went entirely beyond good
 taste as well as good policy in laying aside
 the impartiality of the Judge in the ardor of
 the advocate, as one has expressed it. and
 going into the forum to influence the legis-
 lation of the last session in favor of partic-
 ular religious creed at the expense of the
 common schools of the country, which in-
 volve the intelligence of the people for gen
 erations to come. We expected, in coming
 to Arizona, to find it one of our most pleas
 ing duties to agree with him. as in the past.
 and commend his acts as righteous Judge.
 and had be not taken that unfortunate step
 so palpably in the wrong, We doubt if there
 would have been murmur from any quarter.
 but he turned his back upon many of his old
 and tried friends, and refused to listen to
 their approximations when they would have warned him of tine folly of trying to turn back the tide of progress and enlightenment with the purpose, on the part of the instiga- tors of the conspiracy at least, of ushering in the centennial year of our national exis- tence under the banner of Church and State. | with all the train of folly and bloodshed | that have ever been the hand maidens of such | complications. The law which was attempt cd to be passed, a copy of which accompa- nies his published address, and which practi cally establishes parochial or religious schools at public expense, in lieu of the present plan of secular public education, was perhaps the most direct stab at the democratic institu- tions of the United States ever attempted in any State or Territory, and although Judge Dunne was it's champion here, we are not prepared to believe that he realized. or that he yet realizes, the fall meaning and intent of those in whose interest the same thing is being simultaneously agitated throughout he country. His devotion to the Church. the head of which he no doubt believes to pc infallible and incapable of error. has, we ( Ire fain to believe, warped his judgement in f matters Of religion to an extent that may be , afely denominated fanatical. We are more z inclined to this view of the matter than to I harge corruption in eftice, from the fact that S n his arrival in the country and finding his r 'ld irend Safford, the popular Governor of he Territory, endeavoring with all the ener- {, Y with which he is so liberally endowed to stablish the common school system on firm h asis as the last and crowning act of a suc- T essful administration, knowing that the i, iovernor had but short time longer to h srve, and at the close of his term it was his q, urpose to retire from public life and engage o other pursuits, for which he was making h. very possible preparation, and that his o, reatest ambition was the success of the d. hools. Knowing also that he could com. II and, and had commanded, the Goyernor,s fiuence to any reasonable extent, his action fo trying to overthrow and thwart the hone Id ambition of his friend, is not susceptible .,
 reasonable explanation on any other hy- 'thesis than that he was controlled by fla H' 'ticism of character that brooked no de o' y; otherwise he surely would have waited ',' lew months longer until in the course of ents another Governor would have taken la ford's place. 'a We have here given the dark side of the 'turs, aud yet we are astonished at the ne. ''' ions published in the Citizen of Sept. 25th. arg'ng Judge Dunne with partiality on the NS nch and other misconduct of which we 'n' ve ever considered him incapable. The '"' t that he is religiously fanatical does not p'' r, 'ue that he is dishonest, as these petitions .r' uid imply. On the contrary, the inference .a, hat by reason of his radical views. if you S ase, he is so scrupulously honest that he eh. uid press his religious conviction at the ex- h se of his own popularity. The petition ot the board of supervisors -r, Pima county, charges him with abuse of oou
 position in the matter of the public ;n ools, and yet member of the board. in o,.; capacity as member of the last legisla- C.. 2, introduced and voted for this same na- .ls a'al school bill, and must have been in ac s,., with the Judge on that question at that p }. The board also charges that be has p ped and exercised powers for which the
 pie hold said board responsible. Of this A of course, cannot know the truth. and kno ss we take the statement of the board to SIX rue. without further investigation, must ft I@o 2, An in oouot. VIC prefer, however, to dow