Weekly journal-miner., 1918-02-06
ROBERTS SHES HIS HAT INTO
 THE ARENA
SENATOR FROM COCHISE AND ARDENT SUPPORT FER OF HUNT ENTERS GUBERNATORIAL FIGHT AGAINST FRED SUFFER.
Special to the Journal-Mlner.


 cd, but with a gubernatorial boom under his arm, Senator (. NJ. Roberts
 arrived in the city yesterday morn
 ing from Willcox to spread defiance
 in the camp of the friends who are
 urging Senator Fred Sutter to enter [ the Democratic primary as a candi- ! date for the nomination for governor
 From here Roberts will go to Doug
 las another hot-bed of Sutter en-
 thusiasm, and see what he can do in | splashing cold water. At the latter
 job and as an all-round politician with
 acquaintance with the varying twists
 of the game, Roberts, it may be add od, is handy and efficient.
 The visiting senator was very busy
 here all day yesterday, and last night i He has not q few friends and admir-
 CTS in the district and he was getting
 il, touch personally with as many as ! he could. Nor was he overlooking the
 ether side. Indeed, it appeared part
 of the senator's plan of campaign to
 make a clean breast of his candidacy against each and every and all con-
 Gitions and circumstances. In other words, the gentleman is out with an honest to goodness, unfettered Rob- crts boom for governor. Those who know him understand that this means
 that all the preliminaries have been disposed of and that Roberts is in to stay to the finish. In fact, he has
 never been known to start anything that he did not stay right on the job until the last curtain fell. His entire I2st history, business, industrial. poli- tical, would have to undergo a sweep irg, complete alteration and wiping out to allow him to once make a start for anything and quit before the finish.
 Just why Senator Roberts hastened to the district immediately 1t became noised about that friends of Senator Sutter were after the latter to enter the Democratic primary. Roberts did not say. Possibly it is enough that that once having made up his mind to do thing il is characteristic of Roberts that he wastes no shining minute. Possibly word came from the capitol building at Phoenix that there was no time to lose. As to his rela- tions at the capitol, however, Roberts IS coy. It may be that to some he IS telling more than to others, but to! some it is certain he is avcrring that lis relations with Hunt have never been of the hog-ticd character that many have presumed. Maybe this IS | only for Bisbee consumption, but itis only fair to say that there are many who have noted the senator's inclina- ! ton to large and sweeping indepen- dcncc in private life and found 1t hard to figure out that he would permit politics to put collar on him. How ever that may be, there are some | lccal politicians who will have to be shown before they will believe that the entry of Roberts does not mean that the Hunt backing has been as sured him and that loyal service in thc past has not won it for him.
 It is interesting to note that almost at the hour of the arrival of Roberts as a gubernatorial candidate, rumors inspired in Phoenix press matter be- came current in the papers of the southern part of the State conveying the impression that Golfer might not after ali be the candidate of the Hunt faction. A week ago 1t was given out quietly that this little thing was set tied in favor of Golfer. However, 1t was not possible to trace the Golfer report to definite source. Appar- cntlv there was method in the strings tc the story.
 Another interesting point is that at the same time should become cur rent rumor that Osborn is not in the favor of the Hunt faction as much as he used to be, although this will be accepted to the bitter end with many grains of salt. Osborn IS a politician from the ground up and his alliances are here, there or wherever fancy and political acumen may direct that they can be to the best advantage at the moment, with a change every other Il. oment if expediency so suggests.
 All of which leads back to the fact that of the three, and with the Cobb, Jones and other possibilities from the Hunt family thrown in, Roberts IS the type who would ap- peal to the head of the Hunt ma chine as the favorite. If he can hustle over his home county and gather assurances that will stand the acid test at headquarters that Cochise will give him an even break, 1t IS very likely that he will get the ofti- { cial backing. It IS apparently this business that he is now engaged up- |: on. and he has the advantage on his . side at the start of knowing that neither Golfer nor Osborn can do in Cochise what he can do. Nor has ,