Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-03-08
FROM GLOBE.
OUR CORRESPONDENT DONS HIS PO-
 LITICAL WAR PAINT.
He Pays His Respects to Our Esteemed Governor and Reads the Riot
 Act in Plain Language.
GLOBE. February 22,


 territorial newspapers gre wont to boast of the imaginary good which Governor Wolfey is going to do for Arizona during his stay in Washing ton.
 I wish could agree with them in all their good anticipations, for certain ly no one wishes more good for the people than I, but I humbly confess that l cannot see what good Wolfiey can do Arizona by lobbying in Wash ington all winter. We have a con gressman at Washington to look after our welfare in that quarter and what we most need at present is a good man Ill the governors chair at PhenIx.
 A good governor should strive to enjoy the confidence of the people rather than the special confidence of the President and Secretary of Interior. For it is the peoples welfare he is sup posed to guard instead of the President. To enjoy the confidence of the people he should treat them as a free, think ing and intelligent body. This Wolf ley has not done.
 The friends of his reign are wont to point with questionable pride to his bills to legalize the laws of the terri tory, to fund the territorial indebted ness; provide for another judge and provide for the leasing of the school land. At first view t lis may appear all well enough but let us look at it from an Arizona standpoint.
 Already there has been bill intro duced in congress (without consulting Wolhey l presume) providing for fourth judge, and it would probably have passed as quickly if Wolhey had stayed at Phenix and attended to his own business and the Governorship. And If he was so very desirous of leas- ing the school lands could he not have prepared bill and had Mark Smith, or il he preferred, some one of his Washington friends to introduce it for him? As for the funding of our indebtedness, think the Organic Act gives that authority to our Legislature, and it is that body and not congress that should say how it should be done
 But mol he could not trust our own business to us. He must assume the reins of dictatorship, declare all our laws invalid and transfer the authority of legislation from Phenix to Washing ton.
 By this arrogant assumption of power he has dared to do what prob ably no other man in Arizona would have thought of doing. He has not only defed the law and deprived the people, for time, of the most cherish ed privilege of which the whole Amer ican people have been proud to boast ever since Washington, inspired by
 the Declaration of Independence, led
 our legions to victory in the war of
 1776; but he has advertised to the
 world that the people of Arizona are
 not competent to legislate for them
 selves and by his acts has declared
 that he, congress, and his friend Benny
 are the very ones to manage our affairs
 for us.
 The fact is simply this: He violat- ed the law when he appointed mem bers of the legislature to office (and be it remembered that body was not de
 clared illegal until after they had con firmed his appointment, and had ad journed) and as he needed some way to excuse himself he must declare the laws illegal, that being the easiest way he could think of getting out ot the quagmire into which he had SC blindly rushed. Besides he did not like many of our laws and he probably feared the 18th -wanld-not think O them as he did. Hence his trip tC Washington to tell congress what wt , want instead of waiting like sensible man should until the next legislature
 should meet when he could, in his
 message, inform them of his opinions : and suggest to them the legislation ht might think expedient for the terri tory.
 , How easy 1t would be for the 16tt to pass re-enacting clause and al :, this humiliating controversy would
 have been prevented ! and the people
 would have thought good deal more of their governor than they do. There is still another thing remain
 ing to be said. would leave it alone ant let 1t rest in quiet if his friends were :, more generous to the opponents o his interruptions administration bu
 since they are so anxious to go to ex tremes in denouncing those opponents and bring forth charges that are no ' relevant to the controversy and tent ? to degrade rather than elevate it.
 even invading the private life in indi
 viduals and bringing to light thing
 that should be forgotten-things tha
 every lover of happy society should , pray would be forgotten: I feel just
 flied to state the truth when it applies
 to the present subject.
 Section 61 Of the Penal Code reads Every person charged with the per ! formance of any duty, under the pro visions of any law of this territory re I lating to elections, who wilfully neg ! lects or refuses to perform it, or who
 in his officlal capacity, knowingly anC
 fraudulently acts in contravention O. violation of any of the provisions of sucl laws, is unless different punishmen , for such acts or omission is prescribed l by this code, punishable by fine no exceeding one thousand dollars, or b,
 imprisonment in the territorial prisol not exceeding five years, or by both , Now does it not appear that our gov ernor had personal motive in view when he asked congress to sustain him in declaring our laws invalid in stead of leaving the matter to tho
 people and the courts?
 No man will venture to deny that
 the laws are as binding on the highes officer as on the humblest citizen
 If this is a fact, and undoubtedly it is should not each and every individual whether high or low, rich or poor, be compelled to obey them?
 fthey are unjust laws it makes no diff ference, we must submit to their work
 ings until we have them repealed, anc 1t Is unjust to compel the common
 people to submit to laws they don't
 like and at the same time suffer :
 single individual, who is no better than they, to violate them to degree verging upon impunity, even if he is a
 governor.
 If our governor had approved of the
 Cnp cfifI1finnal