Arizona silver belt., 1903-02-26
OIiiCi1| P0peT Of GiI0 County.
Stoddard and His ApoIogiSts

StOuudTu anu HIS ApOEOHiSlS
 The charge referred to in our Phoe-
 nix correspondence recently, that Col. J. r. Wilson, delegate to congress, was working against the Cowan bill for the transfer of the corporation busi- ness from the office of the territorial secretary to that of the auditor, seems to be confirmed by the attitude on this question of the Arizona Democrat, the property and personal organ of Mir. Wilson, which defends the territorial secretary, MT. Stoddard, and asserts that those who are endeavoring to have the large fees arising from the in-
 corporation of foreign companies, te ken from the secretary and turned into the territorial treasury, "are villifying Secretary Stoddard."
 The Democrat says further that, "the charge that the Phoenix papers axe purchased by the patronage of the sec retary is unworthy of refutation or no. tiee." yet in the same issue of the Dem ocrat We find nearly four pages of arti- cles of incorporation, received from the secretary. In order to get this business, the Democrat, and all other papers publishing articles of incorpo- ration from the secretary, must assent to MT. Stoddard's terms, and as IS well known, the price is ridiculously low from one-third to one-sixth of the max imum rate allowed by law. The Dem ocrat receives very large share of this business, while the Republican, the leading republican paper of the terri tory, is now, for some reason of which we are not informed, receiving none of this patronage. Again, 1t is alleged by Review, published in Phoenix, has been informed by the secretary of the territory, Isaac T. Stoddard, that here after it will not receive any articles of incorporation from his office for publi- cation. His reason for doing so is be- cause the Review upheld Governor Brodie for his recommendation to the legislature, urging that the fees received by the secretary be turned into the treasury instead of his pocket.
 These facts, viewed in relation to each other and their bearing upon the question at issue, certainly give good ground for suspecting that The Demo crat IS influenced by patronage and that Col. Wilson is supporting re. publican official seeking to retain fees and emoluments which in justice to the taxpayers, and to accord with the principles of the democratic party, should go into the territorial treasury.
 The Arizona Press association organ ized to promote the terests of the publishers in the territory has thus far succeeded in securing and retaining legislation in regard to the public printing which is fair to the newsps- papers, but the benefits intended have been largely nuliied by the keen con- petition for business, Gin many cases amounting to bitter warfare) among | the publishers themselves, and the worst offenders III this respect are the Phoenix newspapers. As long as they submit to the secretary's arbitrary and uphold him in his nnwar- 'anted course, they are greater ene- mics of the other publishers through put the territory than Mir. Stoddard himself.
 The proposition to deprive the secre- ary of the territory of the incorpora- ion fees and turn them into the territorial treasury is meritorious and n the interest of the people, and any member of the legislature who opposes uch legislation places himself in an quivocal position and invites the sus- ,icion that his motive is not wholly 
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