Arizona republican., 1910-03-13
Results Of a Conference of Interested Men
ATTITUDE 0f CANDIDATES
Deliberations of Committee Have Complicated, Rath
 CT Than Clarified the Sit uation-Fowler Reticent. Orme to Make Statement.

In an effort to cltrify the situation respecting candidates for tfir pre~i donCA of the Salt River Valley Water Users association. twelve gentlemen whose interest in the association and IL" valley. and also in the prospective [ candidates. cannot b" questioned. mst N'StcrdaN in a Self-cpnStitut- T con ference. The result of it. which be came known in the afternoon. .,y.S rather disappointing than otherwise and leaves the situation eV,n more confusing than before. More specific ally stated. the gentlemen recognized ihe probable candidacy Of john r Prmc and F. \. Fowler. and regarding themselves as friendly to both and even more concerned in the welfare of the association than that of either man. sought to make a choice between them having. il iS said. secured d statement from both that they would abide bv the decision of the conference as To their decision. Mir. Fowler received seven. Mir. Orme two and three mem berS failed to vote Later in the day
 
 be candidate and on Monda, Would issue statement setting forth his reasons Mir. Fowler when seen last night said he had nol been formally informed or the decision of the con- ference. though he knew the result. but has at present no statement or comment to make
 For some time the probability of Mir. FoWler's candidacy for reelection has been a pertinent topic. and some op- position ts him has developed during the last year. Recently the friends of Mr. Orme have also tried to induce him to make the race. Neither man has been very pronounced in his attitude though both represent the same in- terests as respects sentiment in as- SociatiOn policies. Both have worked faithfully and usually in accord in as- sociation policies. and both have served the association diligently and with fidelity to those policies they believed to be best for the association. Aside from the very small number of the members who might be expected to favor one or the other solely by req son of personal friendship il was con ceived that in point of policy one would be confronted by the same Op- position in the campaign that would face the other. whether that might prove to be great or small
 Having those things in mind it has seemed to friends of both that one should withdraw. leaving sentiment to solidify in support of the other. though neither man seemed to regard such course as hardly fair to himself or his friends. Dwight E. Heard. therefore. took the initiative in a conference with Mir. Orme. at which. also Roy s. Good rich was present, and the result was the naming by MT. Heard and MT. Orme of the following committee for d conference in the matter. P T. Hur- ley. IT F. Wilkinson. j. II McClintock. Dr J. W. Foss. A. Goldberg. Selim Michelson.- Dwight E. Heard. Roy s Goodrich. Charles Goldman. II r DeAlund. F.. ] Bennitt and Walter Tal- bot
 The gentlemen met yesterday morn ing in the office of-Mr. Heard and sent for MT. Fowler to ask him concerning the negotiations between the reclama- tion service and the government in matters vital to the valley He SuG- gested that il were better to seek such information of Engineer Hill who was a party to them and who recently brought the good news from Washing tOn.i This was done later in the day. Asking Mir. Fowler for a statement. if he had any to make. concerning his own candidacy and if he would be will ing to abide by the decision of the twelve men assembled he said there not already known to the gentlemen present. all of whom are familiar with the history of the association Re garding the decision of the commit tee he said he would abide by it. Mir. -Orme was called upon and in like man ner said his record in the association is well known and it has always been his purpose to promote it's interests and to stand behind the reclamation serv- ice. He too said he would bow to the Judgment of the gentlemen present.
 There was further consideration and conference among the committeeman. both men. it is understood. having withdrawn from the room. and when the final vote was taken the names of Benntt, Talbot, Goldberg, Heard. McClintock. Wilkinson and Goodrich were recorded in favor of Mir. Fowler. It was reported in an evening paper that the other five men voted for MT Orme. though two gentlemen present have informed The Republican that three of them did not vote at all. but they did not state which three.
 II was stated in an afternoon paper 1 that Colonel McClintock had been re- garded as an Orme partisan. and there ] was surprise when he voted for Fowler. The colonel was seen in regard to It | and said that when he was urged to | serve on the committee he asked that | he might be excused. on the ground l that he is not a member of the asso- citation and regards his relations with | both men as particularly friendly. It 1 ,,-.g ingiota1 that he Shnnid serve