Arizona citizen., 1875-02-20
LEGISLATIVE WORK.
A few Facts Worthy of Consider
 atiOn.


 legislation. The more the subject is ex. amined, the more apparent does this statement become. It is safe to assert that the Sixth and Seventh legislatures together were of less worth to the Terri tory than the Eighth. It is true that there was much wrangling and useless aud intellectual effort on the location of the capital, and incidentally on local mat ters like county boundaries, but in all this no pernicious law was enacted. This fact must not be lost sight of in passing judgment upon the acts of the late legis- lature, nor the other fact that no really good bill was lost, so far as we can learn, in consequence of the capital wrangling. On all questions of interest to the whole Territory, save the one cited, the lcgisla- ture acted upon its best judgment and, as the result shows, upon good judgment. To be more specific, reference to the ac tion of delegations may be had.
 The Yavapsi and Mohave delegations in their labors to locate the capital at Prescott, were simply obeying the wishes of those who elected them; in fact, it was well understood by the people of those counties, that their representatives would employ every means they could command to secure such location. The people of Maricopa expected their dele gation to get the capital located at Phe- nix, or an appropriation to build peni- tentiary there, and both if possible. The people of Yuma, as is shown by their tel grams to their delegation, was not expect ing the capital at Yuma, but desired it to remain in Tucson, and we never heard that the voters of Yuma county cast their ballots for any candidate expecting him to devote any of his power as legislator to relocate the capital anywhere. The action of the Yuma members, admits that Yuma dId not even want the capital. Yu- ma wanted the penitentiary and her mem bers secured it by honorable conduct, and in this, they obtained a consideration of more value than the capital. And for this, the people of Yuma county are great debtors to Messrs. Goldberg and Kelly. Mir. Redondo's course was highly honora- able, but had Messrs. Goldberg and Kelly recorded their votes as he did on the cap ital question, Yuma would not have se cured the capital or penitentiary. This | IS certain. The Pima members were ex- pected by their constituents to use their utmost power to retain the capital at Tue son, and at the very hour of their final action on the question, had specific in- structions to so act, from the leading property owners and business men whose | interests are identified with those of Pima county. The Pima members recognized | it to be their duty to obey the expressed | wishes of those whose interests they were | chosen to represent. Had they done other | wise, they would have been subject to the | heavy charge oi acting against the known and emphatic demands of their constit- | uents, and would have shown reckless | disregard for the protection of posses | sion which all the members of Mohave, | Yavapai and Maricopa deemed of the very first importance. In view of the several valuable laws enacted uninfuenc- ed by any selfish considerations, and the | fact that the several delegations reflected, l or tried to reflect, the wishes of their constituents on the capital question, it is not only absurd but self-stultitying for | any local journal, or the people in any county, to censure the Eighth Legislative | Assembly, or the several county delega- tons comprising it. If the members are censurable for their actions, the people back of them are no less so.
 The position of Territorial legislator is an onerous and we may almost say a thankless one; and to an upright man of any considerable business, @ positive sac ritice of time and money. If men who accept and serve in this capacity, are to be cursed for doing just what those who elected them demand they shall do, then we shall soon find it impossible to get legislators worthy to be trusted with the protection of our possessions, to say noth- ing of capacity to promote and better se- cure them. Let these considerations have weight in passing judgment upon the ac- ton of the recent or any other legislative