Arizona republican., 1908-01-19
PHOENIX. ARIZ. JANUARY 1s. 1908.
GOVERNOR KIBBEY ON AN IN.
 STRUCTED DEELEGATIoN.

STRUCTED DECLARATION.
 The Republican prints elsewhere this morning an argument by Cover nor Klbbey in favor of an instructed delegation for Secretary Taft. We en- dorse whatever the governor says in favor of Mir Taft. We believe that a majority of the republicans of Arizona concede the high ability of the amiable secretary of war and will agree with the governor that he has adorned every public position he has ever oc- cupied. We furthermore believe that he would make a most excellent presi- dent. There is an inference In the second paragraph of the governors ar gument that Mir Taft with all his con- choice: that a necessary qualification of Mir. Taft Is the fact that President Roosevelt himself has positively and finally declined a nomination for a third term. Throughout the governors statement there Is set forth depend ent relation of the secretary which we think does him a grave injustice. Whether Governor Kibbey believes so or not We believe that MT. Taft in his own right and by virtue of his own abilities and achievements would be entitled to consideration even if the president had desired some other can didate for the succession.
 Altogether We think that in his ar gument in favor of Mir. Taft the gov ernor keeps him too much in the limelight of the president; that the president is given entirely too much prominence, even to the extent of weakening the argument.
 Furthermore 1t appears that the governor unnecessarily magnifies the presidents friendliness to Arizona in his explanation of his attitude on the joint statehood question. The state ment that the president "cheerfully by the senate Is not in accordance with the popular understanding of the circumstances of the signature. We recall and We think the governor will on second thought recall, that the president most yehemently declared that he would not sign such a bill. That word "cheerfully" in this con- nection brings back to mind what we have always regarded as a scintillating bit of humor and sarcasm, that reso- lutlon introduced into the last terri torial convention, thanking President Roosevelt for giving us an opportunity 10 vote on the statehood question, un- der the terms of the bill which Sena- tor Foraker had forced upon him.
 Before passing to the governors con- tention in behalf of an instructed del egation we would notice the state ment that Senators Fairbanks, Forak- CT and Knox and Speaker Cannon were responsible for the action of the executive committee of the national committee in reducing the number of AADAii <2i AIO4Ae1 AO A"O. W. submit that there is no record of the fact. and in the nature of things there could be no record of It. It was mere ly an interpretation by certain sensa- tionaI newspaper correspondents, friendly to the administration, of the action of the committee. The publica- ton of it based on no information whatever was a part of the program of vicious attack upon every candidate not smiled upon by President Roose- Yelt
 The further observations of the governor on this subject we under stand to be that Senator Foraker. by his responsibility for depriving us of four votes, has forfeited our obliga- tions to him as the savior of the terri tory.
 The governors arguments in behalf of an instructed delegation invariably answer themselves but none of them touch upon the main contention that an instructed delegation must be rig idly prevented from accommodating itself to conditions which invariably change between the date of territorial conventions and the date of the na- tional conventions. Nowhere is an- swered the pertinent question. "Why send delegation at all; why not cer- tify to some authorized person in the convention the territory's wish to cast its two votes for this or that candi- dates?"
 The Republican has always opposed instructed delegations because it be- lfeves the principle is wrong. It be- lieves in this attitude that 1t represents tho republican sen timent of the territory exclusive of