Arizona republican., 1919-08-22
In things pertaining to enthusiasm no man is sane who does not know how to be insane on proper occasions.
 Henry Ward Beecher.
circumventinu the Primary


 increasing restveness of our democratic friends der the primary law and their proposition for the eircumvention of it. The Arizona primary is demo- cratic device and only nine short years ago it believed by democrats be divine institution. They felt chagrined perhaps that it and the other institutions handed down by the constitutional venton were not accompanied by the thunders which shook Sinai and thefashing lightnings which il- lumined Edom.
 Here was discrimination for had not both the constitution the tablets proceeded from God? Were not the members of the constitu- donaI convention and Moses equal law givers? Why the fireworks and the thunderous applause sf nature the of the first communication Deity with man. why silence in the occasion of the second?
 To the democrats the law has lost of it's divinity. They do not propose to repeal it. On the contrary they propose to preserve it, to embam it and get round it. Something of that sort was sug- gested the meeting of the democratic state com mittee here some months ago, and now the Copper Era comes out wtha demand that something be done.
 That something is this: A democratic state con vention the selection of candidate governor He be nominated course, by the convention but it may pick candidate though conventions without the law; therei sindeed no way of form ing convention except by agreement as to represen- taton The theory is that gentlemen's agreement in the convention to a candidate for governor would be regarded as binding by the rank and file,
 Says the Copper Era: "The Era has not lost sight of the fact that the only which legal noni- nations be made at the present time is in com planee with the present law; but at the same time there is law earth that prevent democratic assemblage composed of democrats whose fealty has been tested is well known bestowing endorse worthy democrat for the high office of governor"
 Certainly not; there is no such inhibition against assembages of the democrats of Arizona there against the conventcles of the Scotch Covenanters during the period of the Restoration. And sembled may endorse any candidate for governor So may sewing circle a idde-de-winks club. Our very liberal in that respect. But what will the effect of the endorsement upon the rank and file?
 The democratic party is variously composed A very large part of it in the past has been shown to consist of socialists. members of the I ". w, and what is known the Hunt following MT. Hunt is to be reckoned with. He president of the stitutionaI convention It is believed that he still holds the primary be divine institution Socialists everywhere and reformers generally, regard it a pillar of their faith Will they this effort to outwit the law and fout the faith2 We are sure they will They will have candidates of their nominated directly the authority of the people who still believed by them to be the expression of God.
 Thus the proponents of the informed convention will further anger the element which they desire to propitiate.
 The Copper Era repeats islander upon repub- licans it's argument against the primary prac tical democratic instrument in the charge that the republicans schools and shoals appear at the demo- cratic primaries and cast their solid block of votes for the weakest democratic candidateH
 We observed with that in the last two campaigns many republicans registered democrats and so branded, voted at the democratic primaries, but we do not think they did so to for ddate because they believed him to be the weakest. They went there to defeat C. w. P Hunt Hunt candidates and they were received with acclaim by large element of the democratic party-the same ele ment which in trying to side track the primary in favor of the convention.