Arizona republican., 1912-06-29
There Is a Question Which Otherwise Would Arise Inevitably and It Gener- ally Accepted It Should Be Settled at Start
IN CIRCUMSTANCE
 JOHNSON WOULD ACT
He Would Insist Upon the Moral and Financial Sup port of All Officeholders in the State; Would Be Compelled to Act

Although State Treasurer David Johnson has not reconsidered his de- termination expressed to The Republi- can a few days ago not to "be the goat in the much mooted election con- test matter, he says there is one con- dition on which he might be willing to take the initial move to have the law tested.
 T wouldn't mind taking this step if all the democratic county and state office holders would give me both their moral and financial support" MT. Johnson said Tt will probably cost $400 to $500 to get this matter tested and if everybody interested would join it wouldn't cost more than $5 a piece. If they want to do that I don't know 1 that I would object to having my name on the petition to the court; but not otherwise.
 There is one thing certain about this matter" said Senator Henry Davis, the law is going to be tested and it ought to be tested before rather than after the election. We ought to know in advance what is to be done. If we are to wait until after an election 1 has been held endless complications might ensue For instance, here is the case of the state treasurr. He has charge of about $1,000,000 of the peo- l ple'S money and 1 apprehend that, with | the question of the legality of an cleo tion a disputed matter, he is not going l to imperil his Sureties by turning over
 this money to somebody else when he
 wouldn't know if he had any right to l do it or not
 And that is view that good many
 people have overlooked. For, suppose
 an election is held without a test of the l law having been first made. It is nor 1 ally certain some of the men now hold | ing office would refuse to vacate in | favor of their successors and then there
 would be a most beautiful chance for l some long drawn out litigation. q guess it would be up to me to
 stand pat" Treasurer Johnson said. | Do you suppose I would turn over $1,OO000O of the peoples money with l out knowing whether I was acting leg ally? And where are you going to get | a fellow to run for this office when he
 wouldn't know if he would get it after he had made the race. and when he | could have no more than a single l term?"
 All of which indicates that the demo- cratic brethren have made a most l beautiful mess of the whole business.
 Some of them are insisting there is a.
 general demand for an election and
 that the faith of the party is pledged to it. Even the governor demanded it. not once but three times. And when | Harry Saxon introduced the election
 bill-the bill that finally passed both
 houses and was signed by the gover
 nor, he said he did it in response to Q
 demand by the democratic voters.
 l Also, it has been said over and over
 again by the best informed democrats
 in Arizona that the democrats were
 morally bound to provide for an election.
 And now that they have provided for it
 a good many of them are running
 around in circles trying to find loop
 hole of escape. It is one of the funniest
 political situations that ever developed
 in any state.
 There is also a fact that d good many
 people overlook and that is, if there had been an understanding in the be- ginning that the candidates were to be
 elected for a three years term. some
 of the gentlemen now occupying com
 fortable state offices would not have
 received the nominations. At least they would not have received the said nominations if the leading politicians
 could have prevented it. And the chances are they could.
 In all this turmoil it is evident there is just one thing that would thoroughly clear the political atmosphere in such
 a way that there would be no flare back. If the matter were brought be- fore the supreme court, and if the court should hold the election law valid then there would be a general election this fall This election would include members of the state legislature, and
 the second state legislature of Arizona would meet in January next. That would be some trouble to the men who want to continue the occupancy of
 their present official positions, but it would do away with all the other trouble.
 But suppose the court holds the oth- CT way.s Then there would be no esec- tion of state and county officers, and everybody but the legislature would hold over. With the present legislature dead the first session of the next legis- fature could not be held until 1915. And as the first state legislature provided 5 appropria tions only until July 1, 1913. ' it win be seen the state would be in a
 (Continued on Page 12).