The weekly Arizona miner., 1870-12-03
TWO GREAT QUESTIONS.

tens -" The Indian and Supply questions, and having about given the former up, as too knotty for solution until such time as our white population shall have increased sufficiently to cut the worse than GordiAn knot, they have turned their attention to the supply question" which, if possible, is little more pressing than the other.
 Now, all intelligent men know that this strip Of land-and a good-sized strip il is-was organ fred into Territory in 1863 and, for military purposes, atiahched to the Department of New Mexico. Tbe officers sent oal from the East Co govern the Territory, came uid Leaveaworth, Kansas, and Santa Fe, \. NJ, and they brought with them fixed ideas regarding the Great East, and its cheap greenback prices, which, from mo- lives of policy, were soon ailer abandoned or hushed up by the policy men among them. But, our ex-Cbief Justice, Vim. F. Turner, clung to these ideas, and pressed them too. but, with little good effect. for our citizens continued to pay ex- orbitant prices for goods from California. Nevertheless our trade with the East kept in. creasing, until, through the efforts of Mir McCor- mick, and some citizens of the Territory. we were severed from the Military Department of New Mexico and attached to the Department of Cali fornia- This wrong act had the desired effect Government trains stopped coulng from New Mexico ; so too did immigrants, and ira little while afier, the weekly mail service we had from the East, vid Albuquerque, was discontinued New Mexico and the East los, all interest in us, and all our business had to be carried on through California
 This being the case, it is scarcely necessary for us 10 state, that a check was speedily placed upon the prosperity of Northern Arizona, whose people have since grown poor, while those mer- chants who have sent them goods, and those persons who have conveyed said goods here have become rich. Then too, our political chiefs quarreled with the Commander of the De- pertinent ot California, and the quarrel was not beneficial to the people of this section.
 But brighter, better day, has now dawned for Arizona. She is once again connected with the East, by a good road, and her people can buy in the cheapest market have their pur- ehases transported over the cheapest routes, and Of course, live and labor for much less than they did vhea but one market was open to them, and when oae se: of frieghters monopolized the carrying trade
 Now, when people come to know that Prescott is distant from New York by rail and wagon roads about 2,7O0 miles from San Francisco. by land and water, about s60 or 900 miles that our traders can buy goods in New York at less prices, in greenbaeks, than the same can be pur- chased in San Francisco for gold that, while it costs at least Is cents per pound (gold) to trans port pound of frieght from San Francisco to Prescott, irieght can be delivered here, from New York, for l2s cents per pound (currency), they will commence to open their eyes to the great wrongs they have borne, and will say to Califor- nia merchants and fteigh,ers, If you cannot do the fair thing by us, and make proper efforts to secure our trade, will transfer 1t to the East
 Recently, the enterprising people of San Diego, California, have been stretching out after the trade of Arizona, but, as they are not manu- featuring or producing people, and are cut of from our interior settlements by long stretches of poor, dry, desolate country, 1t Is impossible for them to secure much Of our trade. for the reason that her merchants and freighters cannot compete with those to the East Of ns In fact nothing short of a railroad from San Francisco Los Angeles, Anaheim or San Diego. will secure our trade to California, and the chances for the n of the points mentioned do not seem to be very good It seems strange that goods ean be freighted from New York to Prescott, distance of 2,7o0 miles,-s5O miles of said distance by wagon, for l2i cents (currency) per pound i; while VIC have to pay from l6 to 20 cents per pound (gold) freight, upon goods from San Fran cisco, which city is distant from us, by the short est route, that by Los Angeles sG0 miles,-nearly the Same distance as from here to Carson, the present terminus of the Kansas Pacific railroad. If we fry the water route from San Francisco there is but little difference in the result although goods can be shipped from San Francisco, by ship, to the mouth Of the Colorado tabout 500 niies) there placed on steambOats, and trans ported ID the river to Arizona City, Ehrenberg, La Paz or Hardyyille. Now, none of the tbree last named places are lo exceed 200 miles from Prescott, yet goods have never yet been laid down here from Ehrenberg and La Paz for less than six cents (god) per pound, which, when added to the tarif of ships and steamboass, the loss by delay, etc. brings the price of freighl by ,bis route up to nearly as much as that over the Los Angeles route. This state of affairs having continued since 1863. and being still ia vogue, with no prospect of change for the better, we cannot be blamed for looking to the East for re- lief For seven long years, our people have tugged and toiIed to develop the mineral and other resources of this Territory. and have sue ceeded poorly in doing so, owing, principally, to the enormous prices they have paid Tor ,he nee. essariea of life, tools, machinery, etc. Of courbe To, the aeenrsed Indian, is greatly to blame for our poor success and we credit hlm with his