Arizona republican., 1910-06-17
PHoENIX, ARIZONA, JUNE r. 1910
The Opened Eyes of a Penitent.


 nature-some human nature-is throwr by the news from Washington that charges affecting the character oi Judge Fletcher M. Doan, one of the justices of the supreme court of Ari- zona and trial judge of the Cochise- Santa Cruz district, were recently made at Washington by MT. George B. Wilcox, formerly clerk of Judge Doan's court for Cochise county, and that the charges have been investi- gated by the national administration and dismissed as without foundation
 The inference appears to be alto- gether justifiable that eX-Clerk Will cox only awoke to the moral turpi- tude of Judge Doan, and only found his conscience shocked by contempla- ton of the spectacle of Judge Doan on the bench, after he, the said Will COX, had been pried loose from his job as clerk of the court at Tomb stone. During the time that MT. Will COX was drawing the satisfactory rev enues which appertain to the clerk ship of Judge Doan's court, he was able to look upon Judge Doans char acter with approving equanimity. In- deed, this approval was affirmative and positive Unless our recollection is very much at fault MT. WillcOX- in the interest of the public welfare, of course-journeyed to Washington a little more than four years ago and personally assured President Roose- welt that the reappointment of Judge Doan would be the eminently proper thing. We also recall, as an incident of that journey, that MT. Roosevelt recounted to a friend of ours a hu- morous outcrop of the conversation between Clerk Wilcox and the presi- dent As the president somewhat gleefully repeated his own comments. they ran substantially thus: of course, George, having been a lieu tenant in my regiment, you did not expect to have any pull with me; and likewise. of course, being the clerk of Judge Doan's court, your judgment of his excellent qualifications is not af- fected by your job. Of course l have expected to reappOint Judge Doan, and will reappoint him"
 When the question of reappointing Judge Doan under the Taft adminis- tration arose, it seems that Clerk Wilcox was still able to soften his disapproval of the judge sufficiently to permit his reappointment, if he did not in fact recomPend the ap- pointment-for MT. Wilcox was still clerk, and presumably thought he had reason to expect that he would re- main clerk Judge Doan was reap pointed once more. with the cordial approval of all the people of Arizona. Shortly thereafter, it appears, the organization" down in Cochise coun- ty besought the judge to appoint a republican to be the court clerk at Tombstone. It was pointed out to the eminent jurist that MT. Wilcox had held the job some ten years, and during that period had pulled down a modest revenue from the office that would approximate one hundred thousand dollars: that when he took the office he obtained the same for and in consideration of the fact that he had been a Rough Rider, albeit a democrat And, the rather insistent organization" aforesaid urged, in its coarse way, that a stipend of one hundred thousand dollars seemed a sufficient recompense to democrat for deserting his evil beliefs-and the republican applicant now needed the job.
 After duly pondering the matter, as all good judges do in such matters, Judge Doan decided that he would accede to the prayer of the "organiza- tion.' and its mana good man, at that--was appointed to the fat and juicy Wilcox office.
 We have heard it hinted that the former clerk and former favorite of Col. Roosevelt thereupon became a backslider. in the republican faith that. not to put too fine a point on it-he insurged and became-a demo- crat once more Moreover, having been led to see the error Of his own ways in becoming a heretic and ac- cepting the creed of the black and diabolieaI republican party. MT. Will cox determined to show to the world