Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1897-01-20
DEMoCsATIC MIsMANAGEMENT.

 democrats and populists selected Hon. Fl. D. Ross as district attorney of Yavapai county, by the most handsome majority that probably any candidate who was opposed ever received. The presumption is that his unquestioned democracy and populism and his competency for the position were the factors which contributed to this result. As to his democracy (the criterion of which Is to constantly seek, and as constantly keep. public position if obtainedl, there can be no question, for he has been feeding at the put lie crib practically ever since he left the school room district attorney hero, district attorney in Coconiuo county, member of the legislature, register of the land office, and, finally, district attorney here. Asto his competency, the recent action of the board of supervisors, before the democratic members thereof and the district attorney, were in office ten days, doubtless at his suggestion and upon his request) they contract and agree, without condition, to pay in addition to the Sl 300 paid down, S4,5oO more during this year, and further agree contingently to pay SS,O0O to Mir. John C. Herndon, pro yided he shall succeed in defeating the suit against the county, based upon the past due coupons of the bonds issued by the county to the F. X 4. c. Railway Company, amounting to abont $40 ,0J0.
 In other words, the testimony of this democratic board of supervisors to the competency of this democrat ic district attorney to attend to what Is practically a suit on promissory note, in which of course on appeal he would have the valuable assist anee of the attorney general of the territory, Is the fact that the board employed another lawyer, and prom ised to pay him certainly three years salary of the same office to as sist in doing what the peoplS have the right to expect of :he district attorney-elect Our notion IS that a man who is not competent to dis charge the duties of an office is guilty of indelicacy in seeking it. Our further idea is that if 5000 will not command the services of a competent man, the prudent thing would be to increase the salary to 8 proper figure.
 The most suggestive feature of this democratic mismanagement is, that while there are a vast number Of attorneys in the territory per fectly competent to attend to the case unembarsssed by any previous expression of opinion, yet they are | ignored, and Mir. Herndon is selec- | ted, while the records of the super visors office show that when he was district attorney, and before the act of congress of June 9th, 1896, validating these bonds, was passed and on which, we are informed the holders thereof particularly rely for the maintenance of the.r suit he officially advised the board of supervisors that these bonds were valid liabilities of the county, aud on he faith of that advice, and in accordance herewith, the super visors reported the bonds to the Loan Commission, and the Loan Commission funded about Si00J0 worth of them, aud the democratic treasurer of Yavapai county pa d out of the peoples money about S27OO0 in the purchase of those bonds. Thls situation of the county's special counsel will test his capacity for ingenious e1plana- ton of positions. To the ordinary layman the situation is difficult to understand.
 Contrast this expensive misman- agement with the record of the district attorneys office for the four years last past, when the Hon. R, E. Morrison was the incumbent thereof Criminal cases without number, covering the whole gamut of crime, more than a dozen mur- der cases and every other felony known to the law, tried with credi- table results, and in addition, the most complicated questions with reference to the liability of banks and large mining corporations aud other properties liable to taxation, all taken care of in the trial and supreme court of the territory, aud not one cent ever asked, or received from the board of supervisors in the payment of additional counsel.
 These are plain, uuvarnished facts, supported by the record, and ought 10 be fruitful subjects for consideration by our democratic and populistic friends. We pro pose to spend Sl4.OOO in order, pos sibly, tD fatally stab Arizona's credit, and thus certainly shut out the last glimmer of light looking towards statehood, and even if un successful in defeating the bonds, We, by taking this position, indicate our willingness to avoid, if possi- bic, our liability-and thus so jar our credit that the negotiation of