Arizona republican., 1908-04-15
pHoENIx. ARIZONA. APRIL 15. 1908.
AN AFFAIR OF THE LAUNDRY.

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 A Tucson newspaper once, having watched with grief the various federal offices. ending with the land office be- ing moved from that town to Phoenix. warned the residents of Tucson not to leave their washing hanging out over night, or the Phcenicians would soon have that toe
 We are rem;nded of that spiteful ob- servation by the circumstance that Tucson is about to take over some laundry from this county. It will be washed there next Saturday and it can be left out over night without the slightest fear that il will be stolen. No amount of cleansing and "blueing' and ironing will remove from it smell repellent to the most hardened and un discriminating thief. Those to whom il belongs do not want it washed and would not reclaim il. They would prefer to see it buried for evei.
 We understand there is to be laid before the republican party of the ter ritory. in the Tucson convention. a de- tailed description of a most disgracefu! condition of local republican politics. Such a procedure will not, of course, immediately strengthen and reunite the party but it is always more essen tial that the partys ills should be cured than that they should be super Tf.ioTl,- l,a.1,1 -t,,,- ,,1,- pearance of strength.
 The trouble does not lie wholly or in great part in the conduct of the pri- maries in Phoenix. Those disorders were merely symptoms of the disease. Not a great part of the local republi- can party is affected. Tn fact the dis grace involves a comparatively few and We believe that the greater part of those few had no adequate realization at the time, of the extent of their mis- conduct. Some of them were kinder gardeners. with no conception of the dividing line between legitimate sharp practice in politics and criminality. They accepted too literally the para phrase "alls fair in politics.
 open boasts were made by them be- fore the calling Of the primaries that they had secured the control of the committee though they did not say how. They boasted further that the boards and the boards would fix in turn. the opposition. They later boast { cd after their defeat in two of the ward 1 caucuses that they had the means to | turn defeat into victory the next day. ! There was no concealment by one of l them that they had S1O to the anti | instructionists' s1 and if necessary. ! could have S10O to the opposition's $l ' i
 That they had the money was shown | in its disgraceful though unnecessary | expenditure in the primaries of the [ first and fourth wards. The election f boards had performed the duty to 4 which they were appointed
 It is not necessary to the sending of T an uIinstructed delegation to Chicago. | representing the regular republican or ganizations of the territory. that there l should be washing of dirty linen at | Tucson. There would anyhow be all ] uninstructed delegation. But it is nec- Il essary for the health of the party that Il those who are guilty of the crimes and Il irregularities of the last three weeks, Il should be publicly admolished. They Il will be the better republicans for the Il admonition and in the future kinder gartners will know that it is not liter ally true that all's fair in politics. The ofiiceholders also will learn that there il is limit to the indecency with which they may cling 10 the teat. If all this is accomplished no good republican can complain that the laundry bill is excessive.