Bisbee daily review., 1903-03-06

THAT E|GHT-H0UR BILL.

bi,l-a duplicate or which has been in tloduced in the house by Rowe-has
 failed in its purpose of filing plat form supporters with consternation.
 The Ashurst franchise suggestion
 might be accepted as an amendment to the Cowan bill and as an additiona. revenue producing agency for the ter Titory. but it will fall short of serving any other purpose. The house will not tamper with the Cowan bill by burden ing it with amendments. Doubtless. some friends Of Secretary Stoddard will attempt to attach fatal amend ments in the council and smother it in committee. or send it back to the house in unacceptable form. Republi- cans in the council promise to vote as a unit to please the administration in this measure. thus foacing the dem ocrats either 10 redeem or repudiate one of the most solemn of their pledges to the people of Arizona Filibusters calculated to defeat the diversion Of the enormous fees of incorporating for revenue on'y will be recognized and denounced immediately. Senator Kibbey, one of the ablest men on the artillery with legal facts and practical figures that will pour like great shot into any obstruction works thrown up by platform smashers.
 The charitable hand of Governor Brodie can be seen plainly in the big
 fight precipftated by Stoddard for the retention Of the fat fees of his office When Governor Brodie said in his message that a diversion of the corpo- ration fees into the territorial treasury would in itself provide a source Of revenue great enough to meet the running expenses Of the territorial government he little thought that Secretary Stoddard then was prepar- ing an official report in which he pro claimed that the fees of his office. de rived from articles of incorporation. had amounted to only S15.00O in eieh- teen months. The governor was con vinced at the time his message was transmitted to the legislature that the fees were of much greater proportions and his convictions are said to rest on a personal examination of the incorpo- ration business. Certain there have been no developments to cause the chief executive to change in mind in this respect, and yet he has endured the secretary's report with rare for bearance. A less charitable admins tration might have coupled the secre- tary's report with some comment or suggestion.
 It is reported that in deference to the desire to quen violent political dis turbances, the minority report of the committee on territorial affairs relat ing to the fees of the secretarys office and the Cowan bill was a much milder document than originally was framed. The report was mild in that it in dulged in little comment and cited no comparison that might have appeared invidious to the secretary. For in stance, the secretary reported his net profits from the fee business as amounting to only S10,000 in eighteen months. The minority report Of the com mittee placed the fees conserva- lively at $40 900 annually, or $6O 900 during the corresponding period and cited other heavy emoIuments at tached to the incorporating business. In fact, the minority report indicated that the perquisites Of the secretary $ office amounted to more than ten times ! the sum indicated in the ofidal and
 voluntary report submitted by the sec retary to the governor Of Arizona
 Yet the committee drew no comparison between the two reports.
 A special Investigating committee | to which the Cowan birt has been re- committed promises to make a very early report Assemblymaa Rowe Harry Carpenter. lobbyist and others are now laboring win this committee l in an effort to secure as mild report as possible. The secretary has aban. l doned his fight in the house, but is ! nervous over the prospect of com. l mittee expose which would pace him
 in an unfavorabte light at Washington | for the air is rife with rumors that
 MT. Stoddard has permitted himself
 to fall into dangerous meshes while ! waging a bitter and at times. personal i fight to continue the quarantine against
 the territorial treasury.
 | LLOYD DAMRON.