Arizona republican., 1908-03-10
PHoENIx ARIZ. MARCH 10, 1908
-REAcr1oNAKIEs" OF ARIZONA

"REACTIONARIES" OF ARIZONA.
 In a prearranged reply to a prear- ranged question so framed as to ac- commodate the reply, Governor kibbey reiterases the reasons why he believes Arizona should send an instructed del- egation to the republican national con vention It is the opinion of The Re- publican that this matter is already as good as disposed of so far as the territory at large is concerned and we cannot help feeling that the governor himself is aware that there will be no instructed delegation from Arizona That a strong effort will be made for face saving purposes to secure an ex- pression by the convention of this county in favor of instructions is evil dent. It may or may not succeed but if ii should succeed the Maricopa cOun- tv delegation would only find itself overruled and defeated in the terri torial convention and the republicans of this county would be subjected to the danger of being eliminated from participation in the national organiza- tion.
 Public interest in the governors re- ply rests mainly on certain reasons for instructions in which the motives of those who are opposing instructions ,are misrepresented. The reply bristles with the term ''reactionaries, an epi- thet applied by President Roosevelt to all who have dissented from his poli- cies even In the slightest degree and which has been adopted as a war cry by the entire federal official line from the White House down to the most re- mote fourth-class postmaster.
 Admitting that ''reactionaries" in some states are trying to secure the defeat Of Mir. Taft at Chicago. there is not the slightest ground on which to make such an accusation against those who are opposing an instructed dele aation from Ariznna. Ii is safe tu say that nine-tenths of the republicans of Arizona prefer Mir. Taft to any other candidate. No doubt a strong senti- ment would have been developed for Senator Foraker if his candidacy any where else had given a reasonable promise of success, but with MT. For aker eliminated as he is, Mir. Taft oc- cupies the Arizona field alone. There may be here and there republicans who favor for personal reasons other can didates, but they are few ana scattered and without any intention of engaging in a hopeless struggle to secure recog- hilton for them in Arizona. As things now stand and as they will stand until the situation is shaped at Chicago in the early hours of the convention there is nobody but Taft in the Arizona re- publican mind.
 No effort is being mace anywhere to send delegates to Chicago who are not friendly to Taft or who could be in- duced to cast the vote of the territory for any other candidate unless t should appear that the territory would be the gainer by having its vote so cast. The ''re4ct.onaries'' of Arizona are such only because they demand that Arizona shall be first considered and after that, the candidate.
 Outside of federal official circles, it is realized that the ou,come Of tlrc na- tional convention will be uncertain. There are apparent reasons why any candidate so far considered, MT. Taft among them, may be defeated and the political sky will be obscured by haze until the convention meets and prob ably until the balloting is under way. It can easily be seen that free and un- hampered delegates in those circum- stances could secure raIuable pledges for the territory which they could not otherwise secure. A defeated candidate could avail us nothing. Nor would the friends of any candidate go out of their way to make pledges in exchange for goods already delivered.
 In this connection the governor ad- dresses himself to the "opportunists." Ht ltIIl lS COUlllOulN uiutIStOOd lO be opprobrious and is SC, intended by the governor. Those who are fighting instructions will readily accept in spite of the intended opprobrium and ad- init that 'opportunism" is back of their opposition. If they and We were not "oppOrtunists," in the present circum stances We could offer no objection to instructions. But We are not selfish Opportunists. We desire that the ter ritory shall be the beneficiary of any opportunity that may be presented at Chicago. Who would not be an "op- portunit' for Arizona?
 We say that the republicans of Ari- zo1a are for Taft and no one else as things now stand. bu: their friendli-