Holbrook argus., 1913-01-21
SOME DRY PETITIONERS
 FOUND TO- BE WET
Make Haste to Explain Po- sition When. List Be- !.
 comes Public

- titioners calling upon the Super visors to hold an election to de- termine whether or not the sale of liquor shall be prohibited in Navajo county. has -occasioned much comment this week. In fact little else is talked about.
 The most notable feature of the. list perhaps is the fact that of the sixty-five signef's, ffty-fye of them are identifieda as railroad men.
 By one familiar with the tax roll only twenty-nine, or less than half, are, said to be tax payers. Of course it is not necessary to be a tax payer to vote at this elec- tion, but considering that the action of the petitioners will cost the county about $3, 900, tax pay CTS are indulging in much caustic cfitisism of the conditions that make it possible for non tax pay CTS to impose at will extraordi- nary expenses upon the county for the holding of special cleo tions, particularly. when there is. every reason to believe that they :. are now and always will be in a hopeless minority in trying to force prohibition upon an unwil- ling public.
 Quite few of the petitioners are clamoring to explain that their signing the petition is not to be taken as a criterian of their sentiments. Some are found to
 have signed to please their wives;
 some wanted to please the pre-
 senter of the petition. Others
 thought there. had to be an cleo
 tion and that they were not com
 mitting themselves to either side
 by joining in the call. Altogether
 it would seem that a considerable
 number of the signers who acted
 under various pretixts or misun-
 defstanding of it's import will
 cast their vote with particular regard to defeating the prohibi-. tionists with whom they unwit- I tingly allied themselves. ,' Then there areothers who con | vivial habits are said tobe at sad
 variance. with their present action and considerable speculation is indulged in as to whether or not : Winslow would look good to them should the irrigation priviliges be abolished
 tl Another. feature that causes l wonder is the fact that some of g the petitioners are>indignant be- g cause of the petition being made y public. The ordinary presumption f would be- that when a man signs r a petition, calling for an cleo
 tion on any question of public s policy he would have the courage | to stand by his convictions but ir e the present instance it appears e that some of those who by theil n action have identified themselves > with the dry side were hopeful that the fact would never be
 known to the public. This is ar
 attitude difficult to understand 1t but it obtains among a surpris
 ingly large number.
 y A canvas of the business mer
 of Winslow this week showed
 almost unanimous sentiment il if promising active support to { e- movement opposing prohibition o A few declined to commit them Q selves publicly because of busi al ness considerations but thei o-- vote will be cast for a continu in ance of personal privalege. s. In contest of this kind it i le always difficult to forecast result ,f with anything like accuracy bu n after canvas comprising a fai t. percentage of voters it appear 20 likely that the vote against pro
 hibition will be three to one.