Arizona republican., 1921-10-24
CHAS. DE $. WHEELER. PR|CKLY THORN IN SIDE IF DEM. PARTY

A fly in the ointment, a thorn in the side, a dividing wedge. are some of the estimates that a majority of the members of the state corporation commission, composed of Commis- sioners Betts and Johnson, make of Judge Charles DeSales Wheeler, who has been acting as clerk in the invest ment department for the last two of Commissioner Vaughn.
 Though the nomination was made by Mir. Vaughn, it was assented to by Commissioners Johnson and Betts with various degrees of reluctance and perhaps with an understanding on the part of Commissioner Johnson that the term of service of MT. Wheel l CT would not be forever.
 Before Mir. Wheeler took his office, 1 the commissioners were besieged by | several members of the Democratic party. chiefly of those of the former anti-H Hunt wing. demanding that the place of MT. Wheeler on the payroll | be left vacant Some of the objectors used the argument of economy, but others more frankly urged the dis content manifested by Mr. Wheeler last fall after the primaries and the l contest he instituted against the nom l ination of Harry Ross for secretary of state and the ensuing scandal It was the theory of the objectors that the family washing should not be Iaundered in public that way.
 Before MT. Wheeler had been long l installed, Commissioner Betts began reporting signs of seismic disturb | ance in the Democratic party Tn con sequence of Mir Wheeler's presence in the state house. At various times he intimated that as a good man, MT. Wheeler ought to come to the aid of the party by withdrawing from the | commission. MT. Wheeler, however, declined to recognize his personal enemies in the party as the whole oi the party and intimated that he would
 force upon the majority of the com mission the pleasure and hardship oi
 kicking him out.
 But the majority did not want to do
 that. It arranged or tried to aTange
 a trade offering something to boot i by which Mir. Wheeler could be given a place in the office of the clerk of the court in this county and thus be removed as a red rag from the democratic gaze. This arrange | ment could have been made, but for the lack of CO., o-operation on the 1 part of MT. Wheeler and Commis- sioner Vaughn, who said that tho | kindly offices of Messrs. Betts ano
 Johnson had been und 1rtaken with out the knowledge and consent of MT | Wheeler, who declined to avail him. self of them.
 On Friday afternoon the majority commissioners notified Mir. Wheeler that the Democratic sentiment agains him was rising so high that the ma jority felt that it could no longer sten it or maintain the responsibility fol 1 the integrity of the Democratic party. It had therefore been deter l mined to shift it upon the Democratic i committed; if the committee felt tha with safety to the Democratic part,
 MT. Wheeler might be retained, wei
 and good.
 What committee?" asked MT | Vaughn.
 ''The Maricopa county committee,
 was the reply.
 "Why Maricopa county?" persisted
 Commissioner Vaughn; ''the corpora ton commission is not Maricop'
 county office. Why not leave it t the Apache or Navajo county com mittee: or to the board of trustees o
 Phoenix school district No. ?'
 Mir. Vaughn further stated that h did not think that any $40 office wa going to imperil the existence of tn Democratic party in the state. No did he think that now was the prope time to complicate the general situ
 ation with such a dispute, with tn disarmament conference coming ol \ ana the railroads and their employe 2 in a state of ferment. He believe 3 that the case of MT. Wheeler shoul 9 have been held in abeyance pendin s the coming of a more settled condition 2 of the universe.
 l, Reverting to the proposal to leav o the matter to the county committee V the commissioner asked his colleague :. where they got that stuff. They re s piled that it was a suggestion c f Judge Stanford. The commissions . said he believed that Judge Stanfor
 had been misunderstood. Later
 was found out that Judge Stanfor
 had stated in reply to the reiterate
 alarm of Messrs. Betts and Johnso
 at the menace to the Democrat
 party, that the sentiment of the ex
 ecutive committee, that is, of tn
 state committee, might be sought.
 Mir. Vaughn said that he would nc
 object to such an inquiry as to Demo
 cratic sentiment, though he adde i that he would feel rather embarrasse
 in going before the executive com
 mittee to ask how the Democrat 7 party felt alet the appointment (
 a $40 clerk.
 l. But, he said. there was no earthl l. reason why the Maricopa committe d. should be consulted. If the matte W was to be left to any Democrat of county committee it should be tn le committee of some county that Ina made a showing at the election las le fall. and hot to a committee whie le had allowed its county to be ir f. gloriously smothered in defeat. fe The constitution of the MaricoI DO county committee. he added. con ly posed of Jesse Wanslee, Jim Murph
 Ed White and others, bitter peI l. sonal enemies of Mir. Wheeler. wa * such as to preclude it's deter i4 imitation of the fate of NJ es Wheeler who would be in the positio T. of the dog with tallow legs that pun s. sued the asbestos cat through hade lg The majority commissioners, how In ever. were not devoid of a sense vel humor. Persisting in the determine le tion to leave the matter to the al
 bitrament of the committee. they to Id MT. Wheeler that he might take da " off and see the members of the con ID mittee.
 ce The trial. conviction and eXecutio on of Mir. Wheeler has ben set for tt ne morrow morning.