Bisbee daily review., 1918-06-04
AN OPEN LETTER
 TO THE PEOPLE

In a recent issue of the Phoenix
 Gazette appears a letter to the editor
 written by some subscriber which
 deals with state issues and affairs of
 the present day so strongly, so truly
 so logically and so we'll. that it is re.
 produced herewith in the hope that
 every good citizen of this state will
 read 1t, not once, but many times, and consider it with most serious thought
 EDITOR GAZETTE:
 An open letter to the people of Ari- zcna and to all officers of the state who have been elected by the suffrage of the peOple-Greetings
 Our state seems to be in somewhat of turmoil. A general feeling of ap- prehensiOn and unrest throughout is caused by the aftermath of what is termed by some as the "Bisbee out rage" of the 18th of last July. Conse- quently l will herewith offer a little advice and make a few suggestions pertaining to the situation as it ap- pears to me, one of the people, and a voter. In the first place. l will ask what is the government of Arizona, and what is it's status? Is it an auc- tocracy, a bolshevik monstrosity, or is it democracy? Is it ruled by a dictator an emperor, a swashbuckler. or is it ruled by the people? l have believed. and do now, that it is a democracy, and is ruled and governed by the people exclusively. The fact is the people are the court of last re- sort. They are the "big chief" They are 'it."
 In order to run the business and affairs of the state tor nation) easily and properly the people appoint or nominate and elect by a majority vote certain citizens as their representa- tives, to act in different capacities for and in place of their boss" (the peo- ple) under pay. They are paid by the people for their services; in fact, they are to all intents and purposes the peoples hired servants. Now we have chief executive called a governor, a states attorney and other officers of state, also county officers, etc, all ap- pointed and elected by the people (except some minor side appoint mentsl and they are all responsible to the people, and to nobody else, for ] capacity. The people make laws, rules and regulations through their legislat- i i've representatives called statute | laws, to regulate and govern the af | fairs of state. And nobody can make law but the people. And no one can abrogate a law but the people, through their representatives, and even their action will not stand if the people ob- | feet. The chief executive, the attor ney general nor any judge upon the | bench can make no law, nor nullify one The great fact is that the gov ernment of Arizona, as well as of the whole nation, is of the people, by the people and for the people, and "E. ! Pluribus Unum" is our motto. One may say that the chief eXecu- tive must sign an act of the legislature to make q law operative-legal. Very l good. You must know that when the governor puts his official signature to a legislative act or to any other state paper or document it is just ex- actly the same as if a majority of all the voters of the state had signed it. | and it is just the same with the states attorney or any other state official. | And whatsoever they say, in an of ficial capacity, is just the same as though a majority of all the voters had said it. Eut the officers may, ana often do, sign and say things that the people (their boss) do not like; and sometimes, if they get the "big head Ia kind of a disease) and go too far, the people won't stand for it; then there has to be a read1ustment, straightening up, so to speak, or else "out they go."
 Very well then; such is the civil government of Arizona, and of the whole United States of America as well. in a few words. The sovereign people are the law. They govern. They make and they unmake. They enforce and they condone, as the ma jority sees fit; and there is no superi- CT power or authority on earth to call them to account, upon any charge whatsoever, unjustly.
 Now we will look at the petty trou- bles that have occurred in. our state and see how they appear to some-and think large majority of the peo- pie. We will take Bisbee as fair sample, because it went step or two farther than any other. What IS good for one town or county is good for any and all, under the same or similar conditions. or, vice versa. Bisoee Is a copper mining town in Cochise coun- ty. state of Arizona. It is composed mostly of honest, hard working citi' zens of the United States of America, and voters of Arizona.
 gang of lawless, michief-making, bull-dozing, non-wOrking vagabonds, mostly foreigners, known as l. w. W.'s cCngregate in Bisbee, where they de- fled the laws, rules and regulations of a we'll ordered town and county, make threats, stop the legitimate industry of the place to the detriment Of the people, and even of the government. This undesirable element became very strong; great numbers gathered in. and some old and new residents were contaminated with their perni- cious sentiments. Work was stopped for some time, and this seditious gath ering seemed determined to keep the community in idleness ad libitum. They defied the officers of the county