Arizona republican., 1912-01-11
TELEPHONES:
An Explanation.

A correspondent of this paper thinks
The Republican should not criticise
La Toilette. Cummins. Bourne. and
Bristow. and he asks why it is done.
The answer presents no difficulty.
The Republican regards Senator
Cummins as a man Of a high order
of mental attainment. but it thinks he
is on the wrong side Of a good many
economic questions. 1t thinks he is
honestly mistaken. as he would prob
ably think The Republican is honestly
mistaken. But as to the other gentle
men, the case is slightly different
For instance take the case of Sen
stor La Toilette There are several
economic propositions advanced by
him that will not bear analysis He
many cases. the reasoning is as false
as the premises on which il is based.
Then. his course in public life has
hardly been of nature to invite con-
fidence At one time a regular Of the
regulars. he is now the captain gem
eral of insurgency. At one time a
friend and supporter of the state or
ganization and beneficiary of that
organization. he is now opposed to it
because. presumably. such opposition
happens to be popular. La Toilette
was at one time one Of the avowed
ton. He helped draft the Mckinley
tariff law. And that law differed i'm
no essential particular from the
Payne Aldrich law. which he now de-
nounces as the sum of all economic
villainies. Touted as the friend of
Arizona. for the sake Of embarrassing
the president, he refused to vote for
admission. And. finally, if he could do
il. he would rend the republican party
in twain rather than admit that en-
lightened conservatism might, by any
possibility. contain single grain OF
AIulIi II N lOl bll4ltulA ~ ubuti std ili
that populism now regards Ia Toilette
as a demigOd; but it can hardly be
expected that men who have memoir
les as long as a lead pencil will do so.
Senator Bourne is much the same
sort. though occupying a much lower
plane mentally. He has reviied about
everything he now espouses and has
espoused about everything he now re-
viles. Once the defender Of prOtec-
ton. he is classed with La Toilette on
the tariff question. The special pro-
tector of Arizona, he voted against her
admission. champion of free silver,
he did quick right -about-face when
his official position depended on it,
promoter of political purity. he
is said to have spent s1O0 900 To secure
his election to the senate. A rich
man himself and a perennial office
holder. he is the sworn enemy of every
business man who has a word to say
about politics. And the patron saint
of representative democracy he holds
his position today at the will of less
than one-third of the people Of Ore
gon. That is the man Bourne. whom
it is lese majestic to criticise.
AS to Bristow. he is simply noise
He never did any thinking for himself
and for a very good reason-he can't.
He is probably one OF the smallest
men who ever occupied a seat in the
United States senate.
1t will be noticed that these men
are forever shouting about reforming
everything and restoring government
to the people" But not one of them
has ever given a single hint as to the
manner Of carrying out that program.
But the shouting does some good.
1t helps keep these gentlemen on the
payroll; and that is the chief consid-
Grafton.