Arizona republican., 1912-06-06
The Beginning of a struqqIe


 Today will usher in at Chicago struggle that may be of the most lar reaching consequences. While, probably danger that is possible will be averted. on the other hand. the things that may be done today may be the beginning of the severest lest of the stability of this republic winch has endured for less than a cen rury and half, a very short. almost am experimental. period in the life of a nation
 What the republican national com mittee will do can only be conjec- tured. It is presumed though. that t win not accede to the demand for the seating of the new committeeman be fore the close Of the convention. ac- cording to long established precedent It is also generally believed that a majority of all the contests, in the neighhorhood of 24o. will be decided against the Roosevelt delegates. mak- ing sure either of the renomination of President Taft or of the selection of some other candidate than either Taft or Roosevelt
 In such d case there would he much violence of expression and in the country wide Roosevelt camps. charges of fraud. The more violent. as they have done before. would counsel an appeal to the arbitrament of force. IL would lie with the lead CTS. whether such an appeal should be perfected So much has been said and done within the last three months; so much heat has been en- gendered. that it might be that force would be resorted to to set aside the decision of the convention.
 Sudden and violent strife usually springs from comparatively insignifi- cant causes while change in the form of d great revolution takes place slowly and the change itself is but the continuation of series of events covering a long period of time, Tn such cases a great principle has eith- CT be.n maintained or .vorthrcWn.
 The civil war marked such a change but it did not effect it. The change seemed to be the abolition of slavery but the abolition of slavery was only an incident, rather sign, of the change which was really the definite establishment of the doctrine that states may not secede If that doc urine could have been established quickly and peaceably, slavery might yet be an institution in this country But the war and the preceding events constituted d test though wher in after years we come to look at it, il was not severe one, of the strength of the republic The contest was hopeIessly one sided. It was merely a geographical division with over whelming numbers and resources or one side
 
 following the Hayes -Tilden campaign when the country was menaced by ( conflict that would have ragged ii every community in this land. Thi: came on suddenly; no great principle was involved. The hot headed sup porters of MT. Tilden proposed to sea him by force. But MT. Tilden was patriot first and an aspirant for tn, presidency next. He and his adviser deprecated talk of d resort to violenc and acceded to the plan for the Ions and tedious adjudication of the con troversy. That gave the countr, time to cool off and whatever dan ger there was went out on the eb1 of passion.
 But. we will suppose that MT. TildeI had been less patriotic than he wa ambitious. We will suppose that h had cried out that he and the demo cratic party had been made the vie tims of great fraud and that h had called upon his supporter throughout the country to right wha they believed to be a great wronI Then we would have found out wheth CT or not this was a stable republi' But the country was spared the tes