Arizona republican., 1910-10-29
PHOENIX, ARIz., OCTOBER 29, 1910
"The Recall"

If it is true, as currently believed, that the recall'' in its most vicious form is to be made a part of the con- stitution, it is not worth while to give any further serious thought to the question of statehood.
 It is possible that a constitution providing for the initiative and refer endum in some restricted form would be approved at Washington, although we believe now as we did throughout the late campaign that it would be fatal to the chances of statehood to adopt the Oregon plan" But if, in addition to a modified use of the initiative and referendum, the consti- tuition embodies revolutionary doc trines as to employers liability and so on-and in addition thereto is load ed with "the recall'' as proposed, we may as well give no further thought to the possibility of statehood.
 What intelligent man believes, for example, that President Taft would approve a constitution that provides for the recall of the judiciary?
 Long before he became president, Mir. Taft had been an eminent judge on the bench. Attached, as he is, to the constitution of the United States, the aim of which, as to the judiciary, is to remove judges as far as possible from the passions and influences of politics, the very thought of making judges subject to ''the recalr' would be abhorrent to him.
 It would be difficult to formulate a doctrine in our constitution which would be more objectionable to the president and to every conservative lawyer in congress.
 Our democratic friends who are so eager to defy the republican admin istration at Washington are laying great stress upon their belief that the pressure from democrats and insur- gent republicans in congress will be so strong in favor of a radical con- stitution for Arizona that MT. Taft will be forced" to approve it.
 It would not be possible for them to entertain a more fallacious belief. MT Taft is not a man who can be forced" to do anything. He is one of the most courageous of all the great men who have sat in the presi- dential chair. He does, and will con- tinue to do, what he thinks is right, regardless of clamor and regardless of political consequences as to him. self.
 But the idea that the recklessly radical element in Arizona will secure material help from the democrats and insurgent republicans in congress is silly in itself. The old line democrats, especially the democrats in the senate from the southern states, are quite as strongly devoted to the principles laid down in the federal constitution as Mr. Taft can be. And not a few of the insurgent republicans are warmly attached to our traditional system of government. It is a safe prophecy that not a single democrat from the south can be found in either house of congress who would approve the revo- lutionary proposal to make judges subject to "the recall"
 The shallow politicians who talk airily of the help they will get in congress are talking in complete igno- rance of the situation.
 AS to the merits of "the recalP' principle. little can be said in its fa- vor, and the objections outweigh the merits overwhelmingly-and applied to the judiciary, "the recall' is abso- lutely vicious.
 So absurd was "the recall'' consid- cred in the late campaign that it was not even discussed in Maricopa coun- ty. While the democratic platform said something in favor of the doc Urine, not a candidate on the demo- cratic side dared to advocate it on the stump.
 But now, it seems, not only the Maricopa delegation, but a majority of the convention, will not only stand for "the recall" but for the inclusion of judges on the bench within the scheme.
 The injection of "the recalP' into the constitution as now proposed will do one thing, at least-it will most effectually 'recall' such chances of statehood as remained.