Arizona republican., 1900-10-12
RELIGION IN POLITICS
Why Col. Breathitt Should Not Ser ve
 on the Peace Commission.

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 The Smithites of Phoenix lay all forenoon yesterday with their ears to the ground. They expected to hear that Colonel Wilson had withdrawn from the fight, but they heard nothing of the kind. Tn the afternoon they converted themselves into source of revenue for the telegraph companies and encour- aged the growth of those octopuses. the Western Union and the Postal At l o'clock a message was forwarded to Prescott: Has Wilson pulled off At1:15 it was followed by another: Ut is reported here that Colonel Wilson has decided to abandon his candidacy for congress. Can you confirm this re port?" At ? o'clock an impatient and ungrammatical Smithlte telegraphed: Has Curnel Wilson withdreW?' This was expected to bring some sort of a reply and the Smithites waited for it with breath baited with McBrayer, Hunter, Pilsener and Old Tom.
 There were replies from the other end but they were not confirmatory of Will sons withdrawal; they were generally unsatisfactory, not to the point. and some were wholly irrelevant, suggest .ng that both candidates ought to quit.
 Nothing more was heard from F. A. Sawyer of Navajo regarding the Peace Commission suggested by him. consist ing of Judge A. C. Baker. J. C. Hern- don and Judge Webster Street. As The Republican mentioned yesterday, Judge Street was found unacceptable. for political reasons. The Smithites ac- cordingly recommended the substitu- ton for him of Colonel John B. Breath itt of Tucson. This was tentatively suggested to the Wilson people of the north. but no reply had been received al a late hour last night.
 The Smithites argue in favor of Colonel Breathitt. in the first place that he is the national committeeman. and therefore Bryan's ablegate for Ari- zona; that he was not present at either the double-headed territorial conven- ton, nor at the disputed Maricopa county convention. and was therefore in no way identified with the Smith Wilson controversy; that he secured the recommendation for the place of national committeeman by the votes of the Navapai delegation in the May convention and should therefore have a fair. if not a warm friendship for Colonel Wilson's strongest supporters
 Against all these reasons why Colonel Breathitt should be accepted by the Wilsonites as the third peace commis- sioner is the fact that for some years he and Mark smith have been sharing the same law offices at Tucson: that he owes the Maricopa county delega- tion in the May convention nothing for his elevation to the national commit teeship, and that that delegation was composed wholly of the present friends of Colonel Wilson. These two latter circumstances would of course cut no figure in the deliberations of so fair minded man as Colonel Breathitt. but there is another influence which would De much more subtle and dangerous to Colonel Wilson.
 The Republican at the time If the late democratic territorial convention Incidentally invaded the ecclesiastical history Of the great com monwealth of Missouri and therein dis covered that many years ago the Rev. A. C. Baker. an evangelist of great power. was holding forth in Saline county one of the most Jeffersonian anu IiSHSSl dSlICulJurdl districts of that great sovereign state. Among those who sat under the droppings of the sanctuary occupied by the Rev. MT. Baker was Colonel John B. Breathitt. saturated with sin and Kentucky and Missouri politics. Colonel Breathitt had been drawn thither by curiosity and not with an ultimate purpose of lead ing different life but he fell under the spell of the Apostle to the SaIinians and emerged a regenerated man. He was Missourian and had to be shown. The Rev. MT. Baker showed him the way from death to life eternal: from Marshall, Mo, to Calvary.
 Now the Rev. A. C. Baker is Judge Baker. one of the proposed Smith members of the Peace Commission In the very nature of things Colonel Hreathitt. who might disregard all worldly considerations. would incline to the view of his spiritual director. Judge Baker. and Colonel Wilson would get the short end of it.