Arizona republican., 1911-07-12

Senator Bailey advised that every de-
batable provision, such as direct leg
islation and the judicial recall be ex-
cluded from the constitution. An at
ers TO suppress this advice. and fail
ing, the Texas senator was viciously
attacked on the floor of the conven-
ton.
A telegram of similar import from
Champ Clark. pointing out the dan
ger of presidential disapproval, was
actually suppressed
The constitution as finally framed
was perhaps more radical than a
very large majority of the delegates
had contemplated. Many of them, a
majority of them, had gone even be-
yond their pledges in the matter of
the recall. and. we may add, beyond
their better judgment.
Meanwhile. we had received other
warning. Governor Sloan had stated
as a certainty. after an interview with
the president, that the constitution
would not be approved, and thereupon
the governor became the object of
the viles abuse
In the course of the campaign for
the ratification of the constitution
warnings multiplied. They came al
most exclusively from democratic
sources. from such leaders as Rep
resentative Lloyd of Missouri and
Representative Henry of Texas
There was no organized opposition
to ratification The fight was hope
less, for it VS. regarded that success
could avail nothing. There was no
likelihood that a second constitution
framed by the same convention would
radically differ from the first
Then this insanely conducted strug
gle for admission entered upon its
last stage at Washington. To ordi-
narily observant persons there was
never a CLEAN of hope, though self
appointed representatives assured
their fellow citizens that statehood
was certain. Up to this time there
was some method in the deception OF
the people, but now only a proper
subject for an insane asylum could
discern any advantage in continuing
a deception which must soon be I'M
covered.
Yet, day after day silly dispatches,
forged and manufactured kilograms.
were printed in Phoenix. announcing
that the people had won whereas il
must soon be made known that the
people had lost what they had already
grasped after continuous struggle os
twenty years.
Now, in this unfortunate situation
in which we are found, we cannot
charge those who are refusing Us adj
mission with bad faith. Beginning
with the unusual discretionary power
conveyed by the enabling act. the red
flag of danger has been constantly |
Haunted in our faces.
We may charge injustice and deny |
the right of the president to exercise |
such power as bars our admission, |
but in accepting and proceeding I'M |
der the enabling act we waived our
right to complain. 1t matters not |
that it should have been our privi- |
lege to write the kind of a constitu-
ton we desired, for that privilege was
not extended to us by the act that
authorized us to write a constitu-
ton.
We believe. as we have recently |
stated. that the enabling act should |
not have imposed such an unusual |
restraint. but that we should have |
been allowed. as nearly all other
states have been, to exercise our I'M
trammeled judgment in the forming
of our constitution.
But The Republican recognized in
the beginning that there was such an
of restraint and that to
ignore it would be fatal. hence its
course along the only apparent way
to statehood.
There is left us a single prospect
statehood by the elimination Of the
provision for the recall of the ju-
dietary. Whether or not the pending
resolution may be amended so as to
be passed at this session of congress
is problematical. even should we all
agree upon such an amendment But
It must be done now or in the regu-
lar session. else all hope of statehood
under the enabling act must be aban-
doned.