Bisbee daily review., 1910-08-17
A SENSIBLE VIEW.

Hon. Geo. J. Stoneman, of Globe, has written the following letter to the Globe Silver Belt. bearing upon the subject of initiative and referen- dun and recall and their relation to statehood and the approval of Ari- zona's constitution:
 At a meeting of the democratic club of this county held last Mon cay. I expressed some views enter tained by me, which were not in harmony with the majority view of those attending the meeting. The difference in opinion. as l was care ful to emphasize, exists not on ac- count of any sentiment l have against the justice and right of the principal included in the measures denominated initiative, referendum and recall" or that l do not believe in direct primaries Such difference as there may exist is as to the ques- ton of expediency and safety in the insistence that these measures should be placed in the constitution and the failure on my part to be able to convince myself that I would prefer no statehood. except and unless these provisions were included in the consti- tuition to be submitted for approval to the president and congress
 I believe with all other men, that the republican congress and repub- lican president, by the terms Of the enabling act, have forced upon us situation whereby the voters of this territory are denied the right to draft land present a constitution. which in the opinion Of the majority vote. shall be suited to our present and future needs.
 I believe further that this situation iustifies all the condemnation which has been expressed We are, never theless, confronted with the situation, which is a threat, that in the event the constitution shall not suit the ideas Of the president and shall con tain the initiative referendum and recall. he will refuse to give such a constitution his approval. This means that an insistence upon these provisions in the constitution is a challenge to the president to carry out his thrSat and if the threat so made is carried out we have from the action of the president and the republican congress no appeal.
 In the attitude taken by those re- Dublicans and democrats voicilg an unchangeable and unalterable opinion in favor of the adoption in the con stitution of the measures under dis cussion, there seems to me to be a grave inconsistency. The principle of initiative and referendum con sists of the right of a small minority to submit it's views for an expression of the vote of the people and yet the spectacle is presented of a combinar tion of both democrats and republi- cans seeking to control the machin- cry Of the politics of each party and usurping into themselves the right 10 say that at the primary elections, the views of none who do not coin eide with their views, shall be per mit,ed to be voted upon at the pri- maries.
 In other words, one who does not believe in the present advisiability Of incorporating in the constitution the initiative. referendum and recall, must either vote against his views or not vote at all. is opposed to these principles on a further ground. It is said that the opponents of re- call of initiative and referendum, can advance only the argument that the people cannot be trusted to en- act their own laws. Does 1t not fol- low in this local situation. because of the fact that no delegate from Gila county shall sit in the constitutional convention, unless he is compelled irrevocably to follow his instructions. that those who elect and send to tte constitutional convention the dele gates from Gila county. muzzle and tie these delegates, because Of :he fear that they are incapable Of ar- irving at a correct conclusion after argument and conversation with rhe.r associates in the convention.
 During the debates in the conyen- tion which framed the federal conssi.