Show COMMONSENSE IX POLITICS Our old acquaintance the silver tongued Tom Fitch has been holding forth in his taking and touching style in Arizona He is truly an orator in manner voice and that stirring quality commonly called personal magnetism He seems equally entertaining and earnest in any cause no mater if it sometimes conflicts with his former themes This time he has been fighting for the Republican cause in Phoenix and his remarks reflecting upon the kind of argument used by the Democratic Demo-cratic Delegate are gleefully copied 3y a home contemporary as bearing somewhat some-what on the State question The way in which it was done was eminently characteristic of the gifted orator The speech was humorous and pointed and no doubt pleasant to hear even by those who were prodded by his points of speech But the idea that tickles our contemporary most is that Arizona is in some respects in the same position as Utah in reference to statehood and Fitch took the ground that the chances of that territory for political independence were as good from the influence of the Republican as from the Democratic party And he took occasion to ridicule Delegate Mark Smiths suggestion that if Arizona wantedstatehood its voters should not I give the Democratic Senators reason to Relieve it would become a Republican State Mr Fitch asked What sign or pledge of unreasoning and unreasonable devotion to Democracy Democ-racy would equal that which she has steadily given for eight years in el ting t-ing Mark Smith to Congress A Democratic Demo-cratic Senator who will not be satisfied with thait will not be satisfied with anything any-thing That may be very funny if It is not very convincing But if Arizona has offered that pledge of devotion for eight or any number of years and should suddenly veer round and support sup-port the candidates of the opposition party would not that give color to the idea that its devotion was indeed unreasoning un-reasoning or that the people who gave it are so fickle and unstable and unreliable that they are scarcely fit for the responsibilities of statehood And would not a shrewd Democratic Senator have reason to hesitate after such an exhibition of vascjllation no matter how satisfied he might have been with the former evidences of devotion to the Democratic cause If the same reasoning reason-ing applies to the case of Utah we have no objection to offer to the comparison But the eloquent champion of Republicanism Repub-licanism also made an admission which we are rather surprised to see our con tempprary endorse It was this Speaking Speak-ing of the chance the Democrats had four years ago to support statehood by acting with the Republicans he said There was at that time a Republican President a Republican Senate and a Republican House of Representatives Congress had admitted to statehood the Dakotas and Montana and Washington Wash-ington and Idaho and Wyoming and was ready to admit any other territory I that was likely to be Repubiican All that was necessary then to have secured se-cured statehood for Arizona was for the Democrats to have exercised a little lit-tle selfdenial and elected a Republican candidate to Congress We care nothing about the little cunning cun-ning turn taken by Tom Fitch to crack a joke at the expense of Mark Smith whom however the speaker eulogized as a bright obliging and companionable companion-able gentleman all of which is true But we wish to direct attentioh to the I admission that all that was necessary I I B i i OS > > 1 to secure statehood for any territory by the Republican administration was to give evidence that it was likely to be Republican This is what The Herald has pointed out many times setting all the small whelps of that party in the territory to yelping and snarling and foaming at the mouth in their eagerness to bark out a denial i That is sufficinet to account for the sudden pretended change of heart of the Republican members of Congress and leaders of the party in referenc to Utah They are now apparently as friendly to this territory as they were formerly hostile and envenomed in their hatred According to Fitch Utah could have gone into the Union with the other territories that were admitted by the Republican party if she had only i on-ly sent a Republican Delegate to Congress Con-gress four years ago Republican enmity against Utah was intense because its people had showed their devotion to the Democratic party by sending Democratic Delegates to Congress for many years But if they had only turned round and kissed the hand that smote them supported the party that commenced to bite at them as soon as it was born given evidence that Utah was likely to go Republican Republic-an and with all her alleged unshnven sins upon her head she could have gone into the Union with the Dakotas and the rest of the territories to strengthen the Republican party That being true where is the consistency consist-ency of finding fault with those who have advised the people of Utah as a matter of policy if nothing further to continue their adhesion to and support of the Democratic party And where is the room for finding fault with Democratic Demo-cratic Senators who hesitate as to hurrying the Utah admission bill forward for-ward after the course which has been pursued of late in reference to the party par-ty The Herald warned the voters at the latest election here of the probable cdnsequences of a change of baseBut R Republicans some of whom knew better bet-ter but were so eager for a local victory that they threw wisdom to the winds and political discretion into the lake ridiculed the idea that the result would influence the statehood matter in the least and used influences that were despicable to accomplish their partisan partis-an ends Now observe the jeer of Tom Fitoh doesnt fit on to the situation here This territory has been known to be Democratic Demo-cratic right along We did not ask Republicans to vote against their principles prin-ciples their party or their candidate We did not ask those voters who had supported the Democracy even though they might have become dissatisfied I through real or fancied errors of the party or the President to waive all that and for the sake of statehood remain re-main faithful to the parly which alone could give them liberty What many of them did was very poor politics and the same remark applies to those active ac-tive Republicans who by devious means put a big block in the way to the goal they professed a desire to reach We do not refer to this for the purpose pur-pose simply of reflecting on the past but in order to give a pointer for the future Placating the Republicans is a foolish waste of political strength The Republican party can do nothing for Utah for three years even if it should succeed in overthrowing the present administration which bear in mind is a matter of exceeding doubt There is not the slightest ground for certainty on the subject Now let Utah voters be wise and whether they fully agree or not with all the party measures and movements for their own sake take a course to secure se-cure that political freedom which they have struggled for during so many years finding the most determined opposition op-position to their hopes from the now helpless Republican party which cannot can-not aid us if it would and might not do so if it could |