Arizona republican., 1906-10-03
For Delegate to Congress Wm. F. Cooper
AN INFAMOUS ISLANDER AGAINST
 ARIzONA'S PEOPLE.

ARIZONA'S PEOPLE.
 An astounding development of the ] joint statehood campaign is disclosed i by Governor Kibbeys letter to the { president of the joint statehood league i printed on another page of today's Republican The jOintist leaders grown desperate by the proof which is daily accommodating before them that Arizona will give their scheme a i crushing defeat, have rssorted to an infamous defamation of the people of this territory. The charge has been deliberately made to the president O. the United States that there will not be a fair count of the ballots at the forthcoming statehood election. The charge has been made that the oppo- nents of joint statehood. led by the governor. will resort to fraud to de- feat jointure.
 We say the jointist leaders have re- sorted to this islander, for We believe as the people generally will believe that only the little coterie of profes- sional and disappointed politicians Whc are making the jointure campaign they and they alone-are capable ot inspiring such a slander.
 In making this charge these leaders have been guilty Of deliberately lying to the president. They know, as every man familiar with our election laws knows. that fraud in the count of the ballots is substantially impossible They know that in few states of the union are such impregnable safe guards thrown around elections. They know that in all the years that Ari- zona has been a territory there has never been a fraudulent election or fraudulent count-that in fact our strict election laws are not needed, because Arizona's people are aa honest people. They know that campaigns are waged as vigorously here as any where in the United States. They know that the precinct election boards . have generally been controlled by the democrats. and that the republican party has been almost uniformly de - feated; yet, that no republican has ever entertained a suspicion that an election was unfair or that count was unfair They know, in short, that the citizens of this territory, dezlo- cratic and republican alike. are honest
 Then why was the charge made :? The reason Is evident. The coterie of jo.ntist leaders foresee an Overwhelm- ing defeat at the polls. They are pre- pairing in advance to save their face by charging fraud in the election. h. cidentally, being in politics for what there is in it for them, they hope to undermine the territorial administra- tion and secure the reins of power an'i patronage.
 No citizen of Arizona should attach any blame to the president for the. let ter he has written on the subject. He is not supposed to be familiar with the local statutes of each subdivision of the union-he is not expected to know that the election laws of Arizona make fraud impossible. But with characteristic frankness he says h. does not believe the charge. And what MT. Roosevelt says. he means-alwavs His confidence in the governor and in the people of Arizona is such that he has no doubt the charge is without foundation. But quite properly he di- rects that unusual precautions be taken in order that all ground for criticism may be avoided.
 The governor has done exactly the right thing in applying to the presi- dent Of the joint statehood league for the cooperation of that organization for watchers at each polling place who favor jointure. We think the gov ernor has asked the impossible, fol there are many precincts in which ar advocate of joint statehood cannot bC found. but the officers of the join statehood league ought to be able t' find them if anybody can.
 It is to be hoped tha' watchers O the jcintist persuasion will observe th, election. most closely. And we ma, add. if the present temper of the pco pie remains the same, the more tn watchers observe the election tn, worse they will like it.