Arizona republican., 1919-06-20
Literary Collaboration

Literary Collaboration
 We suppose that since the preparation of the King James Version of the Holy Scriptures in the early part the Seventeenth century there been other such wholesale collaboration in a literary effort that we marvelng at in the production Of the Journal Fourth Arizona State LegisIa- ture. There were. we believe forty-seven persons at work the King James Version, less than twice many the experts who are engaged in the compilation of the journal
 We have often thought that the Archbishop of Canterbury fault in employing so many re- vsers for the Bible had already translated ire quently the most notable being that translation years before by John Wiclif aided only by Nicholas of Hereford and John Purvey. The good archbishop suspected, wanted to provide good jobs for lot of his friends and that extent King James Version marred by graft
 Twenty four persons have worked-beg pardon have drawn for the compilation of the legislative journal It may be argued that their job was more irksome than that of the coaborators the Version in that the latter already had transations to work from; that they bad really nothing to do but con- sder the accuracy of them and make such amend ments and emendations as suggested themselves
 But much of the work of the colaborators on the Legislative Journal not The minutes of both houses supposed to have been com pleted to the last day of the session. at any rate, within short period before final adjournment. They had been printed daily and proof sheets were laid every morning the desks of members There could have been little in the way of compilation to do but bring the minutes of the day which we admit voluminuous, but hardly so much so as to engross the attention of two dozen Count 'em) colaborators for a period Of three months.
 Just how much this has cost of the peoples money cannot now say. The most that had ever been paid for clerical services preparation of journal of the proceedings of Arizona legisla- ture was s7OO. There has already been paid for clerical services in this collaboration, colusion s527649.e The governor is holding up warrants amounting about $500 which he hopes to save to the treasury What other claims clerical services have not yet been presented we do not know. Then there will come the printing bill an indetermna,e amount, but believe that all the expenditures past and prospective nicely gauged to off set what remained of the contingent fund the time the Iegis- lature adjourned.
 Assuming that the clerical services for this work will amount to about s6OOO including the claims all lowed and paid and those rejected we must insist that there is great difference between that and s7OO There is the higher cost of living there is was the flu" there was and is the un- certain the world cooling it's heels in the ante-room of Versailles; there are the bolshevists there have been cyclones in the eastern states and floods in China. But putting together all these con- tributing and adverse factors must submit that they afford reason excuse for increasing the cost of the journal S6S PER CENT
 Much will certainly be heard of this mat Inquiry will be made to the conception of this conspiracy against the public funds. We want to state that do include the conspirators the clerks who have been employed As a matter of fact do not yet know precisely who is to blame.
 The conspiracy must have had it's beginning sometime before the end of the session when an item of $10OOO for contingent expenses was put into House Bill POP. Who suggested that item? When that is known we will have the end of thread. There already appropriation of 5000 which Speaker Peterson of the house believed would be sufficient to pay for clerical services in- cdent to the preparation of the matter for the jour nal. That seemed to him liberal sum, since we have said, than s7OO had before been ex- pended for that service.
 But somebody had definite purpose in suggest ing that s1OoOo appropriation No such sum was needed for contingent expenses during the day or of the expiring session Really no sum was needed There remained enough of the original ap- propriaton of than s1s,SOO for contingent ex- penses together with the 5000 for completing the records
 We do not suppose half dozen members of both houses the slightest thought to the s10000 item. It asked for and members in that easy way of voting the public funds supposed it needed. But somewhere there group who knew it was not but had planned it's disposition.
 We are not blaming the democratic party for this raid the money of the taxpayers. But it is the business of the democratic party fix the respons- bility for this unexamped which has been per mitted and which has gone into salaries of persons who claim allegiance to that party That gives the whole thing partisan appearance which it is the duty of the democratic party itself to remove by