Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1901-08-28
A DIAB0LICAL ASSIMILATION.

In referring to the appointment, by
 Governor Murphy, of Wm. English as
 assistant secretary of Arizona, the
 Courier gave further evidence to the
 correctness of its claim of being To-
 cated in purgatory gulch and right at
 the head of the gulch. It says:
 "As the Courier referred in terms of
 commendation as to Secretary Stod
 dard's refusal to take upon himself
 the responsibility of recognizing the
 the office of assistant secretary of the
 territory, inasmuch as he had doubts
 as to the stability of the law recogniz-
 ing and practically creating such
 office, the above is published in jus
 tice to Mir. Stoddard. MT. English
 was selected by MT. Stoddard as his
 private secretary, hence will prove aD
 agreeable associate for the secretary
 himself. We believe Mir. Stoddard's
 position was right, and believe also
 that the other side of the chamber
 will always be found deciding for the creation of new appointive office"
 The purgatorial tinged part of the quotation above is in the last sen tence, reaecting upon Governor Mur- phy for the part he took in the mat ter, when as matter of fact his ac. tions were perfunctory, except as to accommodating the secretary by naming a man of his own (the secre- tary's) choice.
 It was announced with considerable flourish of trumpets that Secretary Stoddard did not believe the law valid one and that he had referred it to the attorney general for his opin ion. He received one from him, sus- taining his views in the matter. The attorney general of the United States was next appealed to and he declined | to express an opinion as it was not | within his province to do so. The at torney general of the territory was again appealed to, but it was moi Gov ernor Murphy who made the appeal or who instigated it. The attorney general then reversed his own and Secretary Stoddard's previously ex- pressed opinion, stating that he thought the law a good one. The or ganic act of the territory places the power solely in the gov ernor's hands and the only part he took in the matter was to make the after the law had been declared valid. Why he should be selected as target for the Courier's stink pot in the matter it is difficult to understand. If the opinion of the secretary and the attorney general as first announced by them had been ad- hered to, Governor Murphy would never have appointed an assistant and Sl00 per month, voted by the last democratic legislature to the secretary's office would have been permitted to remain in the territorial treasury. The persons primarily re- sponsible for getting the appointment made was the democratic majority in he last legislature and the man sec responsible was Secretary Stoddard. In saying this it is not in he spirit of fault finding, as every nan naturally wants everything the aw allows him, and republican par iicularly is entitled to everything a lemocratic legislature gives him.
 Our contemporary, however, does not have word of fault finding with he representatives of his political party for passing the law, but gives 7ent to its spleen againsta republican official for carrying out the expressed wish of the legislature.