Arizona republican., 1912-03-20
MARCH %. 1912
TIE lnquisitive Hunt


Washington Peter Hunt to pry open
the newspapers to see what makes
them tick is not original with that
p"rtly parsonage. Ii has alrcad. been
advocated by William Jennings Bryan.
who has become widely known as The
most eminent purveyor Of punk and
piffle Mr.. Hunts party has yet pro-
duccd. But the proposition is even
Older than that. Il was first advo-
Gated by Samuel Pennypacker. a re-
publican. who by grace of the late
Matthew Stanley Quay once served "A
term as governor of Pennsylvania.
Publicity of all the affairs of the
newspapers was Advocated by Penny
packer in one Of his annual messages
To the Pennsylvania legislature 1t
was directed primarily against tn
Philadelphia North American. which
happened to have opposed the politi-
cal ambitions of the governor BY in
ference and innuendO Pennypacker
attacked tl>s North American and said
the people had the right to know who
its stockholders were and all about l.
He said, in somewhat better language.
just what Hunts amamensis tried u
say in his message to the first legis
lature Of this state
ff
is a pretty big state 1t has a popu-
lation Of about 1000, O00 peOple-about
thirty-five times as many as Arizona.
50. when the governor Of Pennsyl-
vania made several kinds of an ig-
noramus of himself naturally he at
tfacted considerable attention.
The newspapers of the country i'm
mediately began To take notice Of Mr..
Pennypacker. Particularly, he received
the most careful attention of the
North American. against which the
proposed bin was aimed. The North
American prepared and published a
bin of its own which it solemnly de-
clared il would present TO the legis-
lature if the governor persisted i'm his
determination to present his news
paper bill. The North American bill
was entitled An act To provide for
the Incarceration Of paretic and feeble
minded governors in padded cells"
That was the end of the renowned
Pennypacker. A loud guffaw echoed
over the entire country and Penny
packer was literally laughed out o.
public life. To this day his admins
tration is referred to in Pennsylvania
as the biggest joke in the history of
the state
If Governor Hunt can't he happy
without knowing all about the news
papers OF Arizona it is quite likely
any publisher will ease the executive
mind by throwing open his books 10
gubernatorial inspection.
But that isn't the meat of the mat
ter. Our inquisitive executive. who
wants To know all about everybodys
business. says certain newspapers are
published with improper motives. He
is afraid the 'pee-pul" will read some
thing they should not read. Ii seems
his idea that the men and women of
this state should be put in a sort of
literary kindergarten class that they
may he protected against the wiles of
the villainOus publishers If the gov
ernor is right in his estimate of the
intelligence of the people of Arizona
if they haven't sense enough to know
whether they want or do not want TO
read any particular newspaper. a great
mistake was made when statehood
was conferred upon this common
wealth. If that is their intellectual
grade. the sooner somebody goes into
court and petitions for the appoint
ment of a guardian for our entire
citizenship the better.