Arizona republican., 1907-12-01
PHOENIX ARIZ.. DEC. l, 1907.
PERSISTENCE IN ERROR.


 The Globe Silver Belt resents with some spirit. doubt raised by The Re publican regarding the accuracy of an interview with Governor Kibbey in which the governor was made to say among ether things that the next pres ident would be President Roosevelt, a man named by him or a democrat.
 It was with reluctance that We questioned the correctness of the in terview. for the Silver Belt has been so unswervingly reliable and conser- vative in statement; but the state ment was so astounding that We could only assume that the Belt had erred for once even. Even Homer mods on occasion. But the Silver Belt persists in what we must continue to regard as most remarkable error. It af- firms that the governor made that statement without stuttering and in English language. with which the Belt reporter is quite familiar. We may admit the clearness of the governors speech and his ability to say what he means but that does not remove our belief that he was misunderstood in this instance.
 We know Governor Kibbey too well; We have known him as a republican too long and too recently to conceive that he believes that the republican party is so forlorn and helpless that only one man stands between it and disaster; that if President Roosevelt should die. or any other untoward thing should happen to him before or at the next national convention the grand old party, the grandest in po- litical history. the one which has long est and most wisely directed the af- fairs of a nation, would collapse like an empty bag.
 The Silver Belt attempts to show that its version of the governors statement was correct by proving its reasonableness and says that the same view is entertained by a majority of the people of this country. That proof may be dismissed without comment. It is not even hearsay testimony and confirms our growing belief in the Sil- yer Belts fallibility, or we should say. still further undermines our fai.h in the Silver Belts infallibility.
 The Silver Belt. however. admits its error in one particular, though an un- s1an -#g+ ,farafgs ascribed to the governor was that he believed President Roosevelt would ac- cept renomination if it were rendered him unanimously. The Silver Belt now says that the governor said that he believed the president would ac- cept the renomination more readily if it were not unanimous" We believe the Silver Belt was right in the first instance if it was right at all. The governor could not mean that the president was so desirous of breaking his election night promise that he would be grateful for any opposition which might cloud the situation and furnish an excuse. Governor Kibbey has no such opinion of President Roosevelt. The Silver Belt should have retained its original text.
 Irrelevantly. as it admits. and petu lantly. the Silver Belt says:
 We would like to know what sort of republicanism is that of The Repub ncan-whether it is that of Roosevelt which Bryan declares is democracy. or that of Foraker. Fairbanks and Can non, the real genuine Standard bn life insurance and public be damned sort"
 We will resolve any doubts that the Silver Belt may entertain regarding this subject. The Republicans brand of republicanism is not any brand which MT. Bryan or any other man can identify as democracy IL is the brand which was regarded as standard in the time of Lincoln and concerning whose purity there was no suspicion through the period of Mckinley. It is a peculiar brand. insusceptive to adul- iteration. With this brand of repub- licanism democracy and populism do not coalcsce.