Arizona republican., 1912-02-01

INC tlOiShHlcTI OI OdTIO".
The indictment of Clarence barrow
at Los Angeles is the latest episode
in a series Of events that are nothing
short of calamitous. Beginning with
the inception Of what is now known
10 have been a gigantic dynamite con-
spiracy, followed by the arrest of the
McNamaras. the absolute proof Of
their guilt and their subsequent con-
fession, luridly Illuminated by the
bribery Of one juoror and the attempt
ed bribery of another, and eliminating
in the arrest of u man who was re-
sarded as little short of a genius in
the trial Of a certain class of cases.
this succession of events form a chap
ter in the late history Of this country
that may well cause grave alarm.
That men could deliberately and i'm
cold blood plan the destruction Of
property and OF life and carry out
those plans, as was done by the Nc
Namaras and the others in that devil
ish conspiracy. tseems enough; and
that a man Of the standing of Clarence
Darrow could have lent his brilliant
mind and great talents to a scheme SO
audaciously anarchistic as that
charged in the Indictment is almost
past belief And let this be said
this is a time for suspension OF
judgment In spite Of everything Mr..
Darrow is still innocent in the eyes Of
the law He has not yet been proved
guilty and he may not he proved gull
ty. He is entitled to the benefit Of
the doubt
But this fact seems apparent Not
only were the McNamaras anarchists
themselves, but the most dangerous
sort of anarchy has been in evidence
at the late trial. 1t seems to have
been established beyond all cavil that
somebody bribcd a juror and tried to
bride another. II seems established
beyond all cavil that money was fur
nished and paid over There seems
TO have been somebody proceeding on
the theory that these defendants were
TO be cleared-no, not cleared-but
were to be saved from punishment at
all hazards.
There are few more hideous forms
of anarchy than jury bribng. The
McNamaras struck at the property
rights Of other men and at the lives
of other men. Their crimes were
outrageous. dastardly. There is not
single excuse for them. There is not
even the excuse that they were paid
less money for their work than they
thought they ought to receive, il any
sympathizer would feel like urging
that as a partial justification. They
were not laboring men. They are
criminals who performed their dast |
ardly work in the guise of laboring
men. There is not a single palliating
circumstance in what they did.
But after all. though they wantonly |
destroyed property worth thousands Of
dollars and though they deliberately !
sacrificed the lives Of more than Il |
score of men, it is a question whether |
the man or men who tried to corrupt |
the jury in the Mcnamara case were
not guilty OF graver offense than
were they.
The jury briber sought the destruc- !
ton of justice, which means the de- |
struction of government He struck |
at the very foundation OF society it,
self. Not only is he a criminal but he /
sought TO make criminals of others.
1t is to be hoped that Clarence Oar
row will come unstained from this or
deal. 1t is to be sincerely hoped |
that he is not guilty. 1t is not pleas
ant to think of a man of his superior |
attachments and brilliant mind as an
enemy of free government. But the
guilty man, whoever he is, should be
punished And for the crime that has !
been committed, the penalty provided |
by the statutes of California is none