Arizona republican., 1903-04-07
Is Anybody Trying to Undermine
 Gov. Taft ?

NOfs LaAN Taking for its text the strange ques- ton: 'Who Is Concerned in the At tempt to Undermine Gov. Taft 2" our esteemed contemporary the New York Sun Of April devotes most of it's edi- torial page to a remarkable article This editorial, after making vigorous defense of the Hon. William Howard Taft's record as governor of the Phil ippines, proceeds with an effort to show that there is conspiracy on foot to displace Governor Taft with General Leonard Wood; that in this conspiracy are the war department, General Wood, and-by inference-President Roosevelt himself, and that the principal agent Of the conspirators is Captain Edgar G. Bellairs, formerly chief correspondent of the Associated Press in the Philip pines, in China, and in Cuba. Captain Bellairs' book. ''As It Is in the Philip pines," which was recently reviewed in these columns, is cited by the Sun as Exhibit A in support of it's extraordi-
 
 is now resident of Arizona, the very live subject takes on an added interest for Arizonians, although the great pop ularity of General Wood in this terri tory would lead our people to tak> quick notice of the Suns attack on him.
 In proof of it's contention that there is a scheme to discredit Taft and put Wood in his place, the Sun marshala these statements:
 1. That there are once more ''shad- owy reports from Manila by way of Washington that the condition of Gov ernor Taft's health may make it impos- sible for him to continue the splendil work which he is doing in those AmeII- can islands for the good or the Filipinos and the future of our flag"
 ?. That coincident with these reports of the governors disability Eve get from Washington in semi-official form Q peculiarly earnest denial of an alleged rumor that Woods real mission is to supersede Taft sooner or later.''
 3. That the form of the denial, on the reported authority of the war depart ment is such as to attract attention and excite interest. tThe alleged rumor goes forth from Washington astride ot the denial itself That the denial manages somehow to convey the ir.- pression that Governor Taft's state 0. health is so precarious that his res'e- nation is imminent; that it is not an astonishing thing that people should be expecting to see the former military governor of Cuba replacing Governor Taft in charge of the affairs of the archipelago; that this supposition is all natural enough, but is not in accord with the official facts"
 4. That General Leonard Woods last published words before sailing from Boston on Saturday were devoted to a similar attempt to prevent any mistaken idea of the magnitude of thc responsibilities awaiting him on the other side of the earth" His declara- ton that he was going simply as ., soldier is cited as unnecessary unless he felt that the people were or might be surprised at his assignment to re- mote and subordinate military post so soon after occupying the much more important administrative station which he held in Cuba
 5. That "the singularity of these protestations is not diminished by the circumstance that a short while ago President Roosevelt offered to Governor Taft a place on the supreme bench of the United States. (Are we to under stand the Sun to imply that the pres1- dent tried to get rid of Governor Taft by kicking him up higher"?)
 6. That Edgar G. Bellairs is suspi- ciously intimate with the army officers, AS It Is in the Philippines having been dedicated to the officers and en- listed men, and the object of the book is to show that what the islands need is an autocratic government run by 2 military man of experience in similar undertakings.
 [. That Bellairs was General Wood s friend and literary promoter both a5 Santiago and Havana. lie was one of the agents of the attack on Major General John R. Brooke which resulted