Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1908-08-14
PHOENIX. ARIZONA, AUG. IA. 1908.
AN APOLOGY TO THE PUBLIC.

AN APOLOGY TO THE PUBLIC.
Ways was loaded up last night
with another jag of prunes. 1t is
due our readers and the community
in general to explain that We are
engaged in no controversy with
Ways. We cannot bring ourselves to
discuss seriously any question with
Ways. We have lately been involved
through the medium of Ways with
some one higher up and it is to
him and not TO the medium that The
Republican has addressed itself.
As we have stated we do not
know why this matter has been
brought up by a representative of
the territorial administration. 1t has
nothing to do with the present po-
litical situation and it can have no
beneficial effect on the future stu
alton.
The burden of an article by the ad-
ministration writer again last night
seemed to consist of a complaint that
The Republican had been lacking in
that continuous joyous alteration, that
unstinted open mouthed admiration
for the governor which the fawning
of Ways betrays; that The Republican
has dissembled if it has not actually
concealed its love for the governor.
From Il newspaper point of view all
this is a waste of time as well as
space. The readers of The Republican
and the public generally are not in
terested in the height or depth or
length or breadth of The Republicans
affection for Governor Kibbey. The
love affairs of this paper and the ter
ritorial administration are not sub
jects of popular concern. We must
therefore decline to discuss publicly
the matter any further.
There is one thing. however, in the
administration writer's article yes
terday which deserves attention since
it is apart from matters of love and
affection. He says:
THE Republican claims, with great
credit to itself, that it enthusiastical-
ly supported the Doran bill. Exactly
so, and for the very palpable rea-
son that it was against the territorial
administration, and was designed to
and would have reduced the mining
companies taxes. The Doran bill as
it was introduced was a measure as
unfair to the people as could well be
conceived. In its operation, instead
of increasing the mine taxes estab-
lished by the board in 1906, and on
which taxes had been paid, it would
have reduced them. Of course The
Republican favored the original Do
ran bill; and the governor opposed it
with every possible effort. The Do
ran bill never did become n law-even
Mr.. Doran disclaimed being its auth
or, it was so palpably unfair to the
interests of the people. The Republic
can and the interests it served could
not pass the Doran bill against the
opposition of the governor, no matter
how enthusiastically The Republican
supported it. The Doran bill, as we
say, ANONYMOUSLY failed, although
there was here supporting it the most
influential mining company lobby
ever assembled at the capitol. Under
the pressure of the determined oppo-
sition of Governor Kibbey, a substi-
tute for the Doran bill had to be in
troduced. And it was the substitute,
and not the Doran bill, that was
passed and is the law today"
The foregoing betrays either an
ignorance or forgetfulnes of the facts
or u willful perversion Of them as
all who are familiar with the circum-
stances attending the passage of the
Doran bill will perceive. They will
readily recall that the so-calied sub
stitute or amended Doran bill was
not introduced or passed at the in
stance of Governor Kibbey but in
spite Of the opposition of his more
radical henchmen in both houses of
the legislature
Where the administration writer
heard that Mr.. Doran ever disclafmed
the measure bearing his name, we
do not know. We do know, however,
that Mr.. Doran throughout, warmly
championed both the original
and the amended bill and
that ever since, he has reverted with
pride to that legislation. Nor are
we aware by what authority the ad-
writer speaks of the !
measure as a substitute 1t was not !
so designated by the legislature but |
was known then. as it has ever since
been called, as the Doran bill.