Year: 1874

lative, county and precinct officers will be over and the general result pretty ac- curRtely known. And we think all will be glad of it. Those who have made charges against private character will be sorry for it or ought to be. Those who have lied and done other dishonorable acts, will repent such acts or will continue to commit deeds of dishonor. Something can and always may be pleadedin extenua- tion of assertions made in the midst of campaign wherein every nerve is strained in behalf of self or friend, but none what ever for the cold or hot blooded lies bruited about.

 With the course of THE CITIZEN during the campaign, we are entirely content; and as we have to be responsible for what it says at all times, for all the labor put upon it, and for the constant expense it involves, not only during the few months of an election contest once iu two years, but for fifty two weeks of each year, we intend to be the sole judge of who it will support or oppose or let aloce. Whatever enthusiastic candidates may think or say, they do not seek office solely for the pub lie good, nor is it their purpose to make any personal sacrifice in behalf Of the people at large; and it is always more or less presumptuous for them to express belief that paper should advocate their election-even on the ground of superior fitness, for that is not always known in advance of trial. In this canvass, there is not a candidate for Delegate asking partisan support-all announcing their independence of party. In Pima county, not one candidate from the highest to the lowest asks partisan support. Every man who has ever run for Delegate upon partisan basis in Arizona, has been defeat cd Therefore the claims of party could not be fairly urged upon us personally or as publisher. All candidates having posi- lively announced themselves Independent, we thought their example worthy of imi- tation and have acted independently both as an individual and journalist.

 We have turned away hundreds Of dol lars worth of job work, so that none of the candidates could have the least de- cent excuse for fault-6ndlng with our course. In no shape has our type printed a word against private character, and with but one exception, none against a mans -unfitness for the office he seeks-unless perchance his own writings have told against him. In the one exception, we will be exactly explicit, for in it some peo- pie have been led to believe that we re- fused to print a reply. James H. Toole, J. E. McCaffry, George Cooler and Larkin w. Carr (the latter a member of the Pima county board of supervisors), printed cir cular setting forth statements against w. s. Oury as sheriff. MT. Oury soon after came to us and asked if he could have reply printed, and we told him he could have anything printed in explana ton and refutation of the charges against him, but that no attacks upon James Lee would be printed by us. He declined 10 have printing done unless he could have just what he wanted, privilege no pru dent printer or publisher in the world

 

 principal reason for declining to permit attacks on MT. Lee, instead of or with ref utations and explanations of charges made by other men, is this: Immediately prior to MT. Lees departure about ten days ago, we asked him If there were any thing we could say in THE CITIZEN that would aid him; that if there were, our col umns were free to him, etc. MT. Lee re- piled in substance that he preferred to let the contest go on as it had been, and also that he was satisfied with the outlook and wanted to get on as smoothly as possible. We then said to him, if anything should turn up in his absence, wherein he want ed anything published, to let us know and 1t would be done-with of course our priv ilege and duty of excluding what we might deem inexpedient or untrue. He has not at any time since sought the pulp Hcation of sentence upon any subject. Under these circumstances, it would have been inexcusably dishonorable, as we'll as ungrateful to MT. Lee, to have printed at tacks upon him by Mir. Oury or anybody else. In common with very many of the best men in Pima county, and we hope and believe majority of the voters in the county, we firmly believe the highest off, cial interests of Pima county will be pro- noted by very emphatic defeat of Mir.