Arizona republican., 1901-02-24

The investigation of the circum- stances of the printing of the biennial
 r,ports. preCipitated in ON THE the council some time RIGHT ago. yesterday began to TRACK. take proper and tangi-
 ble shape, however through no good offices or intention If President Ives. the committee. The investigation was ostensibly directed at the auditor and though the solution of the question of the legality of the printing was the avowed object of the investigation. the real ground of it lay in private grievance. which ante dated the making of the paper on which the reports were printed.
 So long as the investigation was con- fined within the matter of the reports it involved, perhaps, some annoyance which was more than offset by the fidiculousness of the affair, for the auditor, at whom it was aimed, Is q gentleman of an average sense of humor. The awkwardness and tho ir- regularity of the proceeding were in q tneasurr compensatory of the evil pur- pose which inspired the investigation.
 At length the investigation naturally tcachcd a point beyond which it could cumstances surrounding the printing was established by the opinion of the only person authorized to give one. Then it was announced that the hunt would be carried into the office of tn auditor and the board of control. It was at this juncture that the auditor gation by properly constituted joint committee from both houses. He was not perhaps unwilling to leave his cas-, lR the hands of the council as body. but he was very naturally unwilling to submit himself to the Tvs committee. z Something may be said of the coun- eGs's authorization of this committee. 7 We have no doubt of the honesty of purpose of majority of the members ' of the council. A question has been raised regarding the legality of the printing and according to the language iu which the resolution was framed. the pl!rbuse seemed to b the settlement of a matter in dispute. The council WaUtd not naturally refuse to take part in such settlement The next step, ealing upon the secretary for infor- nation regarding the matter, was a shots one and easily and not unnatu- raliY taken. The next one also in yptYcd the printing matter but went beyond 1t and raised an implication that something might be wrong in the offices of the auditor and the board of control. It was at this point that We think the council erred. IL should haEt done one of two things, which it did not do. It should have either halted the pr, sident. or else it should then have divided with the house the responsibility of an investigation which
  the issue might be.
 President Ives and his friends, We understand. did not desire the inter- ference of the house. though the dem ocratic majority there Is more over whelming than 1t is in the councl. The council investigation, 1t Is sapparent, even if the committee were organized with an honest object in view could have resulted in nothing. It would in the end have had to receive the au- thority and concurrence of the house.
 Yesterday morning stage was reached at which. as We have stated the investigation was forced into the right way. At Mir. Ives dl- rection q supplementary resolution re- quiring the cOncurr,nce of the house was introduced and adopted in the council IL involved the expenditure of money and when it was presented in the house. that body had no official knowledge of it's purpose. Every mem- Der though had complete. though un- official knowledge, and it is creditable 10 the sense of fairness and decency of a large majority of them that they flat ly refused to concur Later in the day, at the instance of the president and Dr. Claypool. the nominal head of the committee. whose lobbying must have