The Coconino sun., 1919-03-21
HUNT REGIME STILL
 DEEP IN THE SADDLE

The fourth state legislature proved graveyard for gubernatorial ambi- tions. Three senators who hoped to use it ss a stepping stone to the gub- ernatorial chair have had all the fond hopes blasted and a former senator who invaded the lobby with great idea, had all his high ambitions shat. tered.
 When the legislature convened, the most conspicuous figure was the Hon. orable Antonio A. Johns, president of the senate. He came to Phoenix with a single idea. He was bent on taking over the highway department of the state for political purposes and would have gotten away with it but for the veto power lodged in the governor. But sad to relate, his aggressive at- titude on highway measures led to the disclosure of a little deal in de- crepit mules he had with the highway department under the late administfa- tion and the gubernatorial bee which had been buzzing around his bonnet flew away.
 About this time along came the Honorable Mulford Winsor with an election bill of several hundred pages under his arm. He had spent three months in copying the document from the statutes of other states and he proclaimed it as wonder. The trou- ble came when Winsor's colleagues put the microscope on his measure. It barely got through the house and then Governor Campbell laid the whole plot bare. Winsor managed to rail- road it through the senate over the governors veto, but when it reached the house, a terrible calamity happen ed. It could not even muster a ma jority let alone two-thirds and Win sor's gubernatorial boom way busted.
 But while the gentleman from Yu- ma was trying to monopilize the lime light, a new star arose in the south. Charlie Roberts of dear old Cochise had a great idea. He saw himself as supervisor of Cochise county spending million dollars on the roads and building up great Roberts machine. He even secured the support of his hated enemies, the copper companies. whom he usually kicks around in campaign times and turned up in Phoenix with a bill which would en- able him to get the money. He had fairly clear sailing in the house but the senate result was tragedy. Rob- erts was showed under by a vote of fourteen to four and the double cross had worked both ways. That put him out of the running.
 Then there was the Honorable Hugh Campbell of Coconino. In the cam paign his opponent came out against the land bill. Hugh saw defeat star ing him in the face and he had to do likewise. He was for the bill all right but everybody was employing camouflage, so why not Hugh Camp bell? He felt pretty certain that when he got down to Phoenix there would be enough votes anyway to car " the measure and it did look that way for a time. But Wilkinson and Winsor joined hands to defeat the bill and Hugh had to show his true colors to save it. He will have to do some tall explaining in Coconino and the gubernatorial nomination has gone glimmering.
 Thus the four main contenders for democratic leadership have been elim- mated in the trial heats. The only man who preserved his standing and influence in the party during the leg islature was the late governor, George W. P. Hunt. The legislative session has put his rivals in the background and brought him to the fore.
 It is safe bet that aspiring demo- crats cannot figure without George w. P. Hunt in 1920.-Tucson Citizen.