Arizona republican., 1901-02-22

The Republican offers no criticism of the council on it's proposal to investi-
 gate public nfficials. BY ALL Public officials are pub MEANS IN lie servants. They are NESTIGATE. the temporary clerks of
 the people. They are elected to d. the public will and act as custodlans of the peoples property and money. |, is right and proper that these servants should be watched. It iS right that their conduct be investi- gated, that their manner of performing the duties of their respective offices be scrutiniZed.
 A certificate of election has never yet, except possibly in the instance If the senator from Yuma, carried with it the wings or attributes of an angel MOrtals seem as prone to err not to say sin. after election as before. Their memories become Llmos, instantly df- fected to a disastrous degree, even be- coming as serious in some instances as to cause absolHt, forg tfulness of friends. flvors and pre-el -tion obliga- tiOns and promises. Their heads swell to sizes ridiculously out If proportion tJ their real importance. It is possible that the soul-th moral side of the in- dividudl- |, affected in the same manner and Il gree. Utopia has not yet been reached. and so far as We know. human nature is still human nature. This being true it is csse ntial to watch our publl, servants and frequently 10 investigate them and their conduct If office.
 But The Republican does most em- phatlcally object to c'ndemning any official before a trial Tt does object to convlcting any man in the total ab- sence If any evidence that he is guilty It does object tp prorouncing sentence lefor" q single !o,l f evidence ot guilt has been produced. Tn man or pap r that will proclaim from the l.use-tops or through its columns that q man is guilty of robbery. without having in its possession a single particle of evi- dcnce in suprIt of its allegations is too contemptible for notice. The man who will deliberately besmirch am others character will steal sheep. More than that the fact that he holds character s, lightly is proof positive that he has nothing to fear in that res pect himself He is so far gone that the miserable remnants f his own character would not sell in honor s market for as much as Chinese junk man would Fay for pound of filthy rags.
 Is it honorable to publish to the world, in glaring headlines, that the territorial auditor is guilty of rbbery; that he has "thrus; his itching hands mp to the armpits into the public treasury" when he has done nothing of the kind? Even the most inSlgnih cant anl obscure sheet has some in- lutntf anu lutIt are If I'lt WHO VIII chew the filthy rag If scandal with positive gusto and neglect absolutely the n wer of praise. The bad Is often relished where the good is spurned. some people not knowing the auditor and h.s past record of honorable con duet. will believe these slanderous statements. In consequence pr. Wick rs' reputati.n n will suffer. Irresponsible persons will delight in spreading the unholy and perfldious news Papers on the Enterprises exchange hst-wh'ch is by far the largest part of it's cir'u- tion-will tell their readers that an other Arizona official has gone wrong. People will shrug their shoulders and remark that the territory is still in it's savage period and a mighty gor ! place 10 keep away from This kind of ad- vcrtis.ng will help build up our coun- try and bring in a mighty and lrra Sisu- blc flood tide of respectable p- ople and torrents of gold-nt.