Arizona republican., 1904-06-26
Arizona and Senator Bard.


 It occurs to The Republican that the efforts of some Arizonians to butt into the senatorial. game in California is in rather bad taste. Primarily it is not AFizona's funeral. Our advice or help has not been asked California is SUD- posed to know how to attend to her own affairs; if she does not, it is no function of ours to take her in hand. Should the day ever come for us to elect United States senators from the state of Arizona we should resent with much heat and noise any interference from California or elsewhere.
 So much for the ethics of the situa- ton.
 And from the standpoint of practical politics ArizCnians will do well to keep their hands off. The leading candidate is Senator Bard Next in. the race is MT. Henry Oxnard, a gentleman who has achieved money and reputation in the sugar business and now thinks his proper sphere Is the senate of the Uni ted States. The other candidates are nowhere, as yet. As matters stand, to defeat Senator Bard means to elect Mir. Oxnard in his place. What would Arizona gain by the change? can any body tell? It is true that the people of Arizona generally are taking no interest in the contest. But 1t appears that a number Of well meaning citizens of this terri tory have been writing letters to the business men of Los Angeles, making all sorts of threats if the jobbers Of Los Angeles do not turn in and defeat Bard. There is no ocasionc for the coast jobbers or other business men to lie awake o'nights in worry.
 The refusal of Senator Bard to ad- vocace statehood for Arizona when the omnibus bill was before congress was not gratifying to our people, certainly. And some of the passages in his speech against the measure were positively of fensive. The Republican paid its re- spects to him at the time, and justly found fault with him for his failure to inform himself better
 But since then Senator Bard has gone far to make amends for his ina biilty to support the omnibus bill. As chairman of the committee on irriga- ton he has become one of the terri tory's most powerful friends in the senate. He has already rendered sub- stantial service in aid of the govern ment's Yuma project. If legislation be needed before storage works can be constructed on the Gila, the Verde, the San Pedro or the Santa Cruz rivers, Senator Bard can be depended upon to push such legislation vigorously. Most important of all, he is known to be un- connpromisingly opposed to the pending bill for the consolidation of Arizona and New Mexico into a single state Real danger to this territory turks In that bill. What other western senator is likely | to do more for Arizonas protection in that regard than Senator Bard? Assuredly, it is impossible to see where anything could be gained for | AIlIDllB Dy BOOSllnS OAldIQ- llLO | Bard's place. Nobody knows how OK nard would. stand on statehood irri- | gation CT any other question vitally af- fecting this territory. There is no inn | mediate prospect for statehood except | as a part of New Mexico, and for that | reason the question has ceased to be i of special interest. Arizona's cnly con- | Cern now is to defeat the pending bill. | Bard is pledged to fight that bill.
 Practically, what Senator Bard has done or failed to do is of little moment l compared with what he can and will | do. That he was. conscientiously op--I posed to the omnibus bill was never | questioned, and that he is conscien- tiousl- with the people of Arizona on | all the questions which now closely | touch their interests is a fact of pres eat importance.