Arizona republican., 1890-05-20
NO POLITICS IN IT. The Efforts Made to DiSin- corporate Tombstone. Some Inside History of the
 Struggle. Why Governor WOlfley Was Asked to Interfere to Save the Sink
 ing City.

Matters have quleted down at Tomb stone, which is perhaps as it should be.
 There are few malcontents, of course, but the better sentiment of the community seems to favor maintaining the city government, as the following from the Epitaph will show:
 Every since the agitation for disincor- poration commenced the affairs of the city government have been considerably deranged and owing to the refusal of Mayor Thomas and Councilman Me Pherson to perform the duties of the supplemented by the action of some of our business men refusing to pay their licenses, matters were rapidly approach ing climax that would have been disas- trous to the interests of the city. But the emergency has been met, the danger has been passed, and the city govern ment will be conducted as in the past.
 All the circumstances leading up to the movement for disincorporation,t the man. ner in which the campaign was con ducted, and what was developed during its progress, clearly pointed to the con clusiOn that it was scheme on the part of a few men to rule, in spite of right and justice. A few men had made up their minds, for selfish reasons, to over turn the city government, and in collu- sion with two of the city officers they came very near accomplishing their pur pose.
 One part of the plan was to prevent a quorum in the City Council until next Tuesday. Monday, the 18th instant, is the last day fixed by law when the City Council can organize as Board of Equalization, and if the City Council, through lack of quorum, could be pre- vented from taking proper action with in the legal time; city taxes could not be collected, which would completely upset the city government, and d. though defeated at the polls, the disin- corporationists would have carried their point.
 Seeing their danger, few public spir- ited citizens consulted together, and after earthly examining the Revised Statutes, found law covering the situ- atiOn, whereupOn, petition of the re- maining city officers, setting forth the state of affairs, was drawn up, and City Attorney Swain and District Attorney Stillwell left for Phoenix to present 1t to Governor WOliley and ask that he exer- else his authority and fill the vacancies. After the matter had been laid before the Governor, and Messrs. Swain and Stillwell had stated their reasons for asking that the petition be granted, which were that 1t was not right that a city government should be allowed to lapse through wiful neglect of the off cers to perform their duties, Attorney General Churchill was called in and asked his opinion on the matter. After examining the law carefully the Attor- ney General expressed it as his opinion that the Governor had full power to act in the matter, and also stated that he thought it was the duty of the Governor to further the ends of justice by grant ing the prayer of the petitioners, which the Governor did, immediately appoint ing men to fill the vacancies in the city council and causing commissions to be issued.
 Politics cut no figure in the matter. It was only question of getting good men to carry on the city government. The Governor was informed of this and understood that two of the appOintees are Democrats, but deferred entirely to the recommendation made. as it was purely a local affair, he having no wish to interfere in such matters further than was absolutely necessary.
 The muddled condition of affairs has been strengthened out, and the Epitaph congratulates the citizens of Tombstone on the fact of having a set of officials who will cOnscientiOusly perform their duties