Arizona republican., 1910-07-13
The Decoy Steer of the Democracy.

It is settled that there will be no
 cooperation between the republican
 and democratic organizations in the
 election of delegates to the constitu-
 tiOnal convention. It is settled, be-
 cause the democratic politicians will
 not consent to anything but a parti-
 san fight. The democratic politicians
 having taken a position contrary to
 the wishes of a large proportion of
 the democratic rank and file, there
 has been manifested a considerable
 curiosity to know whence comes the
 order for partisan battle. Who is
 the mysterious boss who has decreed
 that the democrats must not consent
 to any arrangement with the repub-
 licans for bipartisan representation in the convention? is a question that has been frequently asked of late.
 The Republican takes pleasure in answering this question and satisfy ing a popular curiosity.
 The boss who- must e-obeyed is the Hon. Mike Burns of Yavapai county.
 For some years the Hon. and amiable Mike has stood in the rela- tion~ to the democratic organization in Arizona that the decoy steer in a packing house bears to the packing house management. As our readers know, one of the most efficient units in the slaughtering department of a we'll regulated packing house is the decOy steer-the animal that every day leads the new herd of victims into the chute of the slaughter pen The unsophisticated cattle having been started travelling in the pre- scribed direction, the decOy steer re- tires through a door of the chute and trots away, to repeat the pro- gram over and over The Hon. Mike, wearing the democratic label, is sup posed to have control of the labor vote" of Arizona. Just why the Ia bor vote" should be considered one of the Hon. Mikes assets has never been made clear, but the belief is firmly held by the democratic or ganization. The Tabor vote" being mostly socialistic in sentiment, the theory prevails in the democratic camp that the miners and other or ganized workers can be diverted from the socialist herd by using the Hon. Mike as a decoy to lead the labor unions into the democratic chute.
 ganization made a mistake in think ing that the packing house scheme of a decoy steer. could be absolutely reproduced in politics. Blundering. as democratic politicians usually do. they overlooked the human equation" Whereas the decoy steer of the pack ing houses is content to perform sat isfactorily his daily stunt for his daily fodder, the Hon. Mike is not moved by the "cribbed, cabined and confined' ambitions of a steer He is very human, and has human am the labor vote" of Arizona for the benefit of the democratic organiza tion, why shouldn't he be permitted to say what bait he shall use to toll" the labor cattle into the demo- cratic slaughter house? The reason ableness of this question being con- ceded, it logically follows that the Hon. Mike ought to be allowed d lot of latitude in his operations. Hence | his dictum that the democratic or ganization must stand for a partisan | contest for the constitutional conven- initiative and referendum" and such | other "isms" as are supposed Co be I baitfuI for the labor vote" shall be | made a part of the democratic creed | flor election purposes.
 And we have to commend the Hon. | Mikes judgment. There has been entirely too much talk of his close l relations with the Hon. E. F.. EIlin- wood and the Hon. Eugene $. Ives. eminent corporation attorneys. Such | talk is embarrassing and makes an awkward situation, indeed, when a patriot is doing all he can to prove to the 'labor vote" that he is its only | and proper Moses. The democratic politicians would be altogether lack ing in consideration for the Hen. Mikes delicate position if they were to refuse his demand that he he per nitted to formulate the democratic election purposes. Some hing must be done to counteract this ak of private Ellinwood-Ives- Burns partnership.
 With a cruel perversity, however, he labor vote" manifests a restless md uncomfortable spirit. The labor