Arizona republican., 1917-12-16
Where the Press Falls Down

The same thing happened at Tucson. It happens nearly evervwhere nearly every time. It has hap neped in New York, in Chicago in San Francisco and has happened even in Phoenix We are speaking oe tbe election of men to office without newspaper support. even in the of solid newspaper opposl- tion We have more than casually mentioned this matter before and have given what we believe to be a true psychological explanation of the conduct on election day of a proud, perverse and stff-necked generation.
 People. as we have stated, while regarding the newspapers is to say, good newspapers like the Tucson Citizen the Arizona Star, the Arizona Repuo lican and the great New York and Chicago news papers, as good advisers in business and even family affairs; while indeed, they look upon the papers as parts of their family life resent their advice in po- Htical and religious matters. As matter of fact we have never heard of secular newspaper that had the bardihood and insanity to interfere even slightly With the religious affairs of it's constituents We have often shivered to think what would happen to newspaper that would do that.
 But we must get on At Tucson, the other day, that aged political warhorse aged not in years but in politics A. c. Bernard, reelected to the city council Both the Citizen and the Star opposed him vigorously The Star read him out of the democratic party with which he had affiliated himself on attain ing his majority and the Citizen barred the republican door and braced itself against his admission to that fold Mir Bernard had been elected to the council nominally on the republican ticket Again in an off year (for hm he had supported the repub- lcan candidates for office Thisyear he was nomin- ated by both the republicans and the democrats and was compelled to choose between them since he could not legally be the representative both the ticket After prayerfu consideration he chose the democratic nomination and formally and without unfriendlness rejected the republican nomination.
 Both papers pointed out that MT. Bernard had been given both nominations by trickery at the hands of men who represented neither democracy nor rep1b- ucanism The Citizen said it ghastly joke to consider MT Bernard a republican. The Star applied to him the Wsonian of true democracy, "a dem ocrat is one who votes the democratic ticket" and announced the failure of MT. Bernard to measure up to it.
 The official record of the candidate was attacEed bv both papers This was one of only two things on which the Star and Citizen had been able to agree in generation. The other point of friendly contact was an agreement on the superiority of Tucson all other towns on of the earth But usual Mir Bernard was reelected that for the next two years our brethren of the press in Tucson work together in beautiful harmony in directing public at tention to the unfitness of Mr. Bernard.
 And, if he should make a mudde of affairs as they confidently predict, they lift their voices to- gether in that paean which has been thus described
 "Of all the horrid. hdeous notes of woe,
 Sadder than owls songs the midnight blast
 Are those portentous words, told you so,
 Uttered by friends, those prophets of the past"