Arizona republican., 1910-01-22

has been deputed to go to Washing ! ton and furnish the required informal
 tion.
 In view of the safeguards which the
 authorities of Pima county have at
 tached to the bond issue. congress
 ought to approve the transaction.
 There is no danger of a repetition of the narrow gauge swindle. familiar ity with which is causing congress to
 proceed with caution in the present
 case. There is a different class of people in control in Pima county now
 Through the rascality of some of its
 officers and the stupidity of others,
 the county of Pima delivered its
 bonds. in the early days of the terri
 tory, to group of swindlers who had
 promised to construct a narrow gauge
 miles of the proposed line were graded
 cheaply, whereupon the entire issue
 of bonds was delivered to the pro
 moters, from whose hands they quick
 ly passed into the hands of the tra- ditiOnal innocent holder" The cOun-
 ty, finding that il had been swindled
 refused to pay the interest on the
 bonds. and sought to repudiate the
 issue The courts, in the ensuing liti-
 gation. held that the bonds were in
 valid. and the burdened taxpayers of
 the county felt relieved. Everybody
 thought that the unjust debt had been
 avoided.
 Thereafter. the question of vali-
 dating certain bonds which had been
 issued by the counties of Yavapai and
 Maricopa in aid of railway cOnstruc-
 tion came up. The roads in these cases had been constructed and were in operation. the people of the two counties wished to respect their obli- gation. and congress was asked to validate the bonds. The legislature sent a strong memorial to congress on the subject, praying the national law makers to pass a bill legalizing the Yavapai and Maricopa bonds. The late x. o. Murphy was the territory's delegate in congress. and in cOmpli ance with the request of the legisla- ture he lent his efforts to the passage
 ,-al by the attorneys of the Yavapai and Maricopa bondholders and which had received the scrutiny and approval of the committee on territories. The bill passed in due course, and everybody was pleased. Shortly thereafter. an other suit was brought against the county of Pima for the collection of the amount represented by the fraud ulent narrow gauge bonds. The peo- pie of the county were astounded when they learned that it was set up in the new suit that the act passed and Maricopa bonds had also vali- dated the Pima county bonds-that the terms of the act permitted this construction. Nobody was more sur prised or indignant than Mr. Murphy that this construction was placed upon the act. He had always insisted that the narrow gauge bonds were fraudu- lent and should not be paid. In view of the partisan and unfair attacks made upon him in connection with the matter. it is only just to his memory to state the truth. Neither he nor any other member of congress, so far as he knew. had any idea that the act validating the honest bonds of the counties mentioned could be con- strued to validate the bogus Pima county bonds.
 The new litigation dragged through the courts for several years. the at. torneys for Pima county holding that | it had not been the intention of con- gress to validate the narrow gauge | bonds, and that the act should not be l so construed. The county lost in the | end, however, and there being no al- | ternative after the supreme court of | the United States issued it's mandate, | the county had to recognize the bonds | as representing a valid debt. In or der to give the county the benefit of l a low interest rate. the territory is | sued it's bonds in payment of the | debt. and holds Pima county obligated | for payment. The total debt thus sad dled upon Pima county by these 1 bonds is slightly more than | s3ls,0Oo
 In the light of this experience. there | was no danger that the taxpayers of i Pima county would make another | mistake Congress will find that the | Twin Buttes railway bonds represent | an honest transaction.
 The newly formed City club is giv- ing abundant evidence of its value to | the city. The discussions at it's meet l