Arizona republican., 1922-05-21
SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 2l, 1922
Some peoples souls are sla1'unk IN
them Ike dried nuts. You can hear
'em rattle as they aOalk.
Douglas Jerrold.
Mr.. Hunt and the Conference

Mr.. Hunt and the Conference
The letter of former Governor Hunt to Senator
W. D. CIaypool chairman of the Gila county delega-
ton in the conference hardly be regarded
as declaration of internecine war; though Mr.. Hunt
makes very clear that he is in accord with the
conference and equally plain that he favors reversal
of what was accomplished there. 1t is call to the
faithful take action in the forthcoming primary in
disregard of the findings of the conference.
The candidates endorsed he finds "unobjeeton-
able" we suppose personally, but the in
which they were recommended for nomination he
finds highly Objectionable nasmuch as IN the recon-
mendation of them. if that recommendation should
finally prevail the people would be deprived of the
rights guaranteed them by the primary law
A superficial view might be that the former gov
ernor is engaged in splitting invisible hair mas
much as the recommendation cannot be effective
without the people exercising those rights. Mr.. Hunt
sees though, in the action of the conference dan
gerous precedent if it should be allowed to un-
challenged. Two years hence, the conference would
be regarded as matter of course the rights of the
people under the primary law would be utterly abro-
gated. and the law though still encumbering the
statutes would be as effectively repealed if legs
iative action had been taken
We share of the FORMER governors adnira-
ton for the direct primary, but it must be admitted
that from his point of view as well as from the
protestations of regard for the primary expressed
by those who engineered the conference. Mr. Hunts
position and unassaiiable 1t plain that
the conference was to be nothing but evasion of
the primary. 1t could never have been called for
any other purpose 1t therefore remains to be seen
whether the rank and file of Arizona Democrats want
the primary law wiped out II they acqu5esce in the
work Of the conference, that only that they
are weary of the primary.
The logical course for the Democrats who believe
with Mr.. Hunt pursue is therefore to proceed as
if the conference had been held; to nominate
in the primary such candidates they choose, and
if there should follow the selection of entirely
different ticket from that agreed by the con-
ference would result either in the acceptance by
all Democrats the primary ticket else it would
leave Democratic tickets in the field. Mr. Hunt
his declares that he would support the pri-
mary ticket Ard would anyone have the hardi-
hood to call him a bolter? Well hardly.
The former governor does not go far as to
complain of the personnel Of the endorsed ticket,
though his use of the Objectionable" does not
signify approval 1t is well known, though, that
the candidates endorsed members of the So
called Hunt wing of the party. while at least two
of followers of the former governor
were defeated for endorsement, and and then
throughout the conference there manifestations
of its freedom from the Hunt influence.
Probably the greatest threat of inharmony found
in former letter in his reference to
The constitutional amendments whose defeat he states
is much be desired than the election of any
candidates for office. He declares that his fight
against them, begun they were proposed.
will be continued through the primary. That will
bring Mr.. Hunt and his following into violent
fct another element of the party and it would
certainly lend bitterness to primary campaign for
the nomination of candidates. And think the de-
termination of Mr. Hunt make this fight will have
the effect of bringing candidates oppose the
endorsed candidates.
The genesis of the proposed amendments cannot
be definitely laid with either the Republicans the
Democrats, though the first suggestion, believe,
came from prominent Democrats and took form in
Industrial Congress The acts of the legislature
submitting them concurred by Democrats and
Republican members alike. The Republicans have
had no opportunity through their representative
bodies for expression regarding them On the other
hand though the subject merely touched upon
by the Democratic state committee last January and
almost instantly abandoned something dan
gerous the impression was left that many of the
leaders favorable to the amendments.
That impression further strengthened by the
efusa last by the state conference to declare
against the amendments when the subject was forced
before the conference by small group of men recog-
nized as followers of Mr.. Hunt who himself must
share this impression. for he Il regret to
hat the platform does contain plank condemn
ing the proposed amendments to the constitution
which strike at popular rights"
The former governor may be expected to be a
lively figure in the campaign and that his first in
erest will not be in the aspirations any of the
candidates now before the people
We Have Recovered