Arizona republican., 1911-10-21
A Democratic Affair,

The Phoenix Gazette on two GAYS
in succession charged that the FL
Paso & Southwestern railway pro-
vided for Judge Wells and RaiIua,.
Commissioner DePass a special pri-
vate train for their eXclus;v, us
between Benson and Douglas. The
Gazette portrayed the awful. heinous-
ness Of this mythical accommodation.
and invited its readers TO contem-
plate the difference between these re-
publican candidates and its pet. Brady
O'Neill-its readers We're told that
never, never. would Brady O'Neiu
accept such favors from railroad
company.
The Republican promptly showed
that the whole story was malicious
lie; that Judge Wells and Mr. DePass
Travelled to Bisbee in the same car
in which they left Maricopa; that in
this car were numerous other passen-
gers; that at Benson, the regular
train having gone, this car. after a
delay Of some hours, was attached
dC the paycar Of the FL Paso Il
Southwestern which happened 10 he
leaving on a special trip; that all
of the passengers from Maricopa had
the same accommodations. all of
them benefitting by the Kindness
OF the railway company in permitting
the Pullman from Maricopa To be
attached to the paycar special; and
that BRADY O'NEILL was one of
the passengers on the same car with
Judge Wells and Mr. DePass The
Republican assumed that the Gazette
would scarcely be so infamous as to
build the lie out of whole CLOTH and
credited the authorship of the story
to O'Neill himself Later. learning
that O'Neill probably did not send
the story, but that the real author
from the best information obtainable
was another of the Gazette's pets,
one F. A. Jones. The Republican,
out of a sense Of fairness, promptly
gave the latest information.
Whereupon. the Gazette, being too
indecent to apologize to Judge Wells,
Mr. DePass. and its readers for the
infamous libel, tries to shift public
attention from the main fact by
charging The Republican with a pur-
pose to defeat Mr.. O'Nein in the
democratic primaries.
The Gazette was never more mis-
taken. The Republican has no wish
whatever to defeat O'Neill, Al
though this paper has great num-
Der of democratic subscribers and
readers. we have refrained from Of
fering them any advice as to their
action in next Tuesdays primaries,
inasuch as it is a democratic affair.
and this is a republican journal. In
deed, from a partisan standpoint
nothing would please The Republi-
can and republicans generally more
AlldU 10 set - -Ntlll llldht bAAt VI AtA'
democratic nominees for the United
States senate, for with the possible
exception Of one other of the demo-
cratic aspirants. O'Neill in our judg-
ment. is the most vulnerable Of all
and would be the most easily defeated
in the general election on December
Il
1t has not seemed to us that II was
expedient to point out to democrats
the weaknesses or merits Of the var
ious candidates who are asking for
their favor at next Tuesdays pri-
maries. Were we to undertake to
advise our democratic friends at this
stage of the game they would, most
likely, misconstrue our motives.
Hence. at the risk of having absolute
" unfit candidates foisted upon the
people we have kept silent as TO
the records of all the aspirants.
Moreover. there is another reason
why republican papers should refrain
from trying to influence the demo-
cratic choice at the primaries. The
democratic voters are intelligent, and
if they have sufficient interest in
public affairs to acquaint themselves
with the merits and dement's of their
several candidates they will encounter
no difficulty in learning all the facts
necessary to guide them-there are.
in every community. citizens who can
talk advisedly of the records that
have been made.
But after the primaries there will