Arizona republican., 1908-03-03
PHOENIX. ARIz.. MARCH 3, 1908.
ONLY THE OFFICE HOLDERS
 WANTED IT.

"Wags" the organ is aggrieved at the disloyalty and treachery of Terri torial Committeeman Mauk who re- fused to violate a pledge made nearly TWO years ago and vote 10 bring to Phoenix a territorial convention for which no one had asked and which so far as we know, no one wanted except the local office holders.
 Mir. Cleaveland of Graham county upon whom as a resident, Maricopa at present has stronger claim than it has upon MT. Mauk, also cast his own vote against Phoenix for precisely the same reason that Mir. Mauk did. NIT. Cleaveland, too was a member of the Bisbee convention which gave the next regular territorial convention to Phoe- nix with the understanding that the executive committee should locate the delegates convention. That understand ing naturally included the further un- derstanding that it should be located elsewhere than in Phoenix. However it might even then have been sent here, (for usually there is not a great demand for this particular convention) but for the activity of the local office holders who are rather more thickly congested at this point than any where else in the territory.
 The local party organization had put forth no effort to secure this conven- tion. The board of trade and no other public or semi-public body had made any move CT displayed any interest in the matter But the office holders bestirred themselves. They didn't re- quest the convention, but openly boasted that they were going to get it. They were sure of it for they had figured that seven of the thirteen votes in the committee would be those of of- flee holders who are members of the committee. They did not take into account that Mir. Cleaveland. though the governors private secretary would regard his agreement at Bisbee two years ago, as more sacred than his later duty to the official family into which he has been called.
 But for the boast of the territorial and federal officials that the conven- ton was to be brought within their sphere of influence, the republicans of Tucson would have taken no great in- terest in the corning convention. Per haps. scared by the exaggerated claims of the Phoenix congestion of office holders. of the strength of the instruc- ton sentiment in these parts, the re- publicans Cf Tucson where there is admittedly no instruction sentiment at all. very naturally desired that the con vention should be geographically free from the intrlgues of a large coteric af gentlemen. personally interested in the sending of a fet.ered delegation to Chicago.
 This is doubtless, the main or active reason why Phoenix did not get the convention, though, as We have pointed out, there was an earlier tacit under standing that the coming convention should not be located In Phoenix, if 1t should be wanted elsewhere, and Tucson appears to have wanted it badly-and successfully.
 So, this is Ways" idea Of dislOyalty the keeping of a pledge against the wishes of a few territorial and federal officials who had looked forward to the convention here as another spoke in the instructions wheel. IL would have availed them nothing anyhow for it is written in the books that there shall be no instructions.