Arizona citizen., 1874-03-21
Not an Unmixed Damage.

The low rates at which contracts have recently been taken to furnish all kind; of government supplies and service, may result in some substantial good to the Ter ritory at large. Until last year, govern ment needed rather more grain than was produced in this Territory above local wants. California and New Mexico became competitors in the grain and cattle supply and continue so to this day, and the bids for supplies this year show that tke grain dealers in new Mexico are willing to SUD- ply certain military posts ln Arizona at prices s'that our farmers deem below the cost of production and marketing. We have it from different contractors and bid ders that men in Salt and Gila River Val leys and at Prescott had large amounts of grain on hand and put in bids not to make more money but to save what they could. These facts serve to explain why such very low bids were put in for grain. They are dispiriting to farmers and also to some merchants and dealers who have obliga- tions overdue and no immediate market for their grain for which they exchanged goods and cash. The demand by govern ment is rather decreasing than increasing.
 The farmer must therefore act upon the facts and not grow grain for which there is no market, and dealers in it must also recognize the folly of purchasing what is practically dead property. This condi- tion will necessarily turn the thoughts and actions of both growers and dealers in grain to other operations. There is hard y doubt but that if few merchants had each used the means put n grain for which they have only a losing sale at best into the development of a single mine, there would have been several such profitable mining and milling establish ments as Smith & Co.'s below Wicken- | profitable mining operation, will have fortune guaranteed in the reliable trade H. Lesinsky & Co.,, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, according to ac- counts, have large and increasing busi- ness built up in the copper mines at Cliff ton, Arizona. There is hardly a man of any acquaintance with the mines in the Santa Rita and other mountains here abouts, but honestly believes a number of them to be very rich, and if properly worked would afford labor to thousands of men and a market for much more i produce than has ever been grown in Ari- ,ona. It is the manifest interest of both merchant and farmer to do all they can to 'ncourage mining. It is true that this f important resource has been neglect | d not from any want of confidence in v he value of it, but because of Apache a It is also true that the re- f ent outbreak at San Carlos and Hualpai } ave suspended and postponed mining. T 'ut in the depression occasioned by low i' rices of grain, the larger and more cer- ain resource Ot mining should not be t, 5nored. It and stockgrowing will event 9 ally attract an immense population to tC -rizona and put all on most prosper E E us basis. It may be said with truth that b ne silver vein made State of Nevada U 1d, in proportion to its population, there
 not another in the United States -ith such large yearly production of enuine wealth. Arizona may be equally p 'rtunate from the same resource, but Is Ill not be while her people rely so F uch upon a gradually decreasing gov le 'nment business. L
 $;