Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1910-10-27
PHOENIX, ARIz, OCTOBER 27, 1910
The Approaching Day of Personal
Politics.


Personal controversy marks the
campaign in so many of the eastern
states that the traditional party issues
have become considerably obscured.
In New York, for example, Colonel
Roosevelt's charge that Dix, the demo-
cratic candidate for governor, has
been a leading figure in the oppres-
sive wall paper trust and is the rep
resentative of the ticker crowd" Of
Wall street, started an uproar that
grows in volume as election day draws
near. The counter charge is made
that Colonel Roosevelt is making a
preliminary campaign for the presi-
dency, the voters are urged to vote
the democratic ticket and restore
business confidence" and they are
told that vote for the republican
ticket means a vote for Roosevelt in
1912. In addition to this, criticism Of
the colonel personally is extreme in
its vigor.
Over in Connecticut, Colonel Roose-
velt's charge that Baldwin, the demo-
cratic candidate for governor, was a
''reactionary" judge on the bench, has
likewise transformed the campaign
into one of personal controversy.
In Pennsylvania, Tener, the repub-
Iican candidate for governor, has sued
a Philadelphia newspaper for libel be-
cause of charges made against his
personal integrity.
In many other states personalities
are cutting a large figure in the cam
paign.
We shall grow familiar with this
feature of politics when Arizona be-
comes a state. The almost complete
absence of personal controversy from
political campaigns in this territory
has, we fear, left our citizens unpre-
pared for the first state campaign
which we hope is to come in the near
future.
Campaigns in Arizona hitherto have
been as unexciting as could we'll be
imagined By tacit consent, the press,
the political managers and the stump
speakers have carefully avoided per-
sonalities. The personal character
and the private records of the can
didates, their habits of life and their
personal affairs generally were never
discussed in public and but little in
private.
Undoubtedly this custom was d.
rect outgrowth of frontier days, when
to be polite to everybody you met was
conducive to your personal safety. In
those days it was never good form to
try to elicit from man any informa-
ton concerning himself that he did
not voluntarily impart. Where he
came from, "who he was" why he
matters of that sort were for him to
disclose or keep to himself, as he
chose. So fixed became this habit
of refraining from Quitting in" with
questions that to this day the old
timer forms an intuitive dislike for
the curious person who asks ques-
tons about the affairs of other peo
pie.
And SO 1t was with politics. Every
body knew everybody else, and if a
candidate was deemed unworthy he
was quietly showed under with votes
against him, but there was no discus
sion of his unfitness. Occasionally,
ord for croo Aedness was elected to
office who would have been defeated
IL the voters had been familiar with
his crooked record. For Illustration,
there was the case of lawyer who
became suddenly prominent as a poll
tician and achieved such popularity
that he was elected to office in one
county. and, removing to another
county later on was there again elect
ed to the same Job. He had con-
gressional aspirations. he was ready
maker of friends, was fluent and
pleasing stump speaker and was
man of acknowledged ability, and was
generally regarded as a conner" But
somehow the information reached the
territory that he had been member
of the legislature back east, had In
defiance of his home instructions
voted to elect a United States sena-
tor whose seat was VIGOROUSLY bought