The copper era., 1911-01-13
Senator Bourne Endorses ArizOna'S
 Constitution.

Hon. Lamar Cobb, member of the constitutional convention from this county, has received from President Geo. w. P. Hunt copy of a letter received by MT. Hunt in answer to one he wrote Senator Bourne, of Oregon, the author of what is known as the Oregon plan of the Initiative and Referendum and Re- call. We take the following extracts from Senator Bourne's letter which Arizona's proposed constitution and follows up bis endorsement with the declaration that we are not fit for statehood if we do not endorse the constitution as framed at Phoe- nix. Extracts from the Senator's letter are as follows:
 "At the outset, let me say that the question whether the President will or will not approve the constitution should be wholly immaterial. The people of Arizona have wisely incor- porated in their constitution pro- visions which permit them to control legislation and keep their public servants .ccouutable to them. This principle is fundamentally and eter- nally right and the people of Arizona should adhere to it even if they thereby forfeit statehood forever. They had better lose statehood than yield their right to control their state government. What a mockery it is to start a constitution with a pream- ble declaring: "We the people of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties," and then harbor for an instant the thought of sur rendering or limiting that Godgiven liberty at the instance of any man who happens to occupy temporarily the office of President Dictation from one man at Washington should be as distasteful to the people of Arl- zoua as dictation from London was to the American colonists and no sov- ereignty should be recognized except the sovereignty of the people who ex- press their will drought the federal and state constitutions and statutes
 "The action of your people was guided largely by the experience of the people of Oregon, who have now enjoyed Popular Government for eight years. You were wise in follow. ing such guidance, for in the past eight years the people of Oregon have voted upon total of sixty-four measures submitted to popular vote and have not made a single mistake, while they have in numerous in which they could not secure from the legislature and have defeated nun Der of unwise acts passed by the legislature"
 ''I see no reason why a man who occupies judicial position should be governed by laws or standards of public service different from those which apply to legislative or execu- tive officers. Judges are but human. We sometimes elect legislators to the bench, send former judges to the legislature and place judges in ex- ecutive positions, even elevating them to the highest executive office in the land. Does a man change his standards of ethics when he changes his office? I think not. A man who is dishonest or incompetent in execu- tive or legislative office will as likely be dishonest or incompetent in | judicial office. A man who would use his power as an executive in an i'm proper manner or for improper pur- poses would exercise judicial power in the same way. In any branch of | the government, he is a servant of the people, not their master, and he should be subject to dismissal by the people after fair oppor tunity to be heard upon his record.