, 1881-12-10
NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA;

a bill "to cltabu tho reUplu OF New Mexico
to form Constitution md Stnte Gnyerll-
,nent, md for its admission M State into
tho Unl0n." There nro several reasons why
New Mexico us at present organized should
not be admitted into the Un!on. 1t llas not
sufficient population. According to the last
census there were but LII. .fa'3 PERSONS III tile
Territory, Including 10 900 Indians ul.l hatf-
breeds. T1le rats Of growth Is slow. New
Mexico las b9en open for settlement 25o
years. Santa Ft Is one Of tic oldest towns
In North Alncrica, md has been the Capital
Of New Mexico since t6iU. II there had bccll
my capacity III tho soil for sustaining largo
population, New Moxico would have lcen
thlckly settled long aRo. Moreover, the
character Of tho population Is not satis-
factory. 1t Is largely nI1du upOf " "Grcasern
Alexicans, ,no,1grels, hatf-breods, nOllo of
whom spenk English, cowboys, and row.
Ing ctass Of adventures who lavo 10 liked
l,nbitatloils. The scaMty n,n1nK population
may or n,ny not l,e permanent. 1t cannot ut
any rato. Ie deWntcd oil as an element of
stability In now State.
New Mexico n1nl ArlZond ought 10 bc con-
solilated. They wers formerly pnrts Of ollu
Territory The reason for their division WINS
tic want of means VI communication bt-
tween tllom and tho alleged llarslshlp0 Ut con,-
pcllng residents III thu western llnlf to ,nAkn
tho tuiIsome Journey over tho sterile plains
to the sent Of government III Santa Fc but
this rcason for separation llas now bcen re-
naved. Thero arc, or soon will be, Tires
great lines of railway trayorsing New Mox-
leo Md Arizona from sdu to side. The
Journey from almost any part Of Arizona to
Albuquerque, which ought to be tho now
Capital, will bo less difficult than to Tucson.
Tho two Territories togetliar would only
hnve sufficient population for Stato. Tho
Inst census gives tue population OF each US
follows:
Au!znMa .., IT,
rota. looI IQlo
There are In Arizona 5000, Chinese, lit
diuMs, MID l,aif.broe4s and In New Mexico
10000 Ealf-breeds aud Indians. leaslg n, Of
fectlye whtte population lit tic Two Turri-
tories OF A5 000, more tl,un 10at GOO Of whom
arc ignorant, superstltloMs Greasors. who
know nothing Of olsr Language, lsteraturc,
laws, customs, or civilization. )
The nrca Of tho Two Territories Is very
large. Arizona hus 113.Dl8 squire mllcs, and
Now Mexico lIns 12l,10l square miles. II
they should be consolidated ard ndll.lttcd ns
onc State tho aren would be I'll, III square
miles. This would be nearly ~ mitcl, US
Texas. but It's agricultural resources would
not be ono-lenth rs Kreat. It's power 10 sns-
tain population will ever be limited to faw
valleys susceptible Of. Irrigation anil wl,at-
ever minerals may be fonnd worth working.
There would be grave objections to ,uaking
any new State OF such vast dimensions if all
ut lis soil, or any considerable proportion Ut
it, were fertile. Hut most Of Now Mexico and
Ar1zona Is utterly worthless. 1t I,as strips
of good lallls III tho valleys mud along
| tho river courses but the high lands
are waterlcss, trcelcss, ralnicss deserts. Tie
Southern Pacific Railroad runs for hundreds
| Of miles through dDs0late, sandy plains,
which aru but littto better tsIan desert.
| Eas.orn Now Afoxlcu IL u continuation of tho
| worthless "Staku.l Plains" 0f Texns; and
| Western Arizona Ia n mountainous region and
will noyer be worth anything foraEr!culture.
Thore IL tlotn State between TIC Allegheny
| md Racky Mountains TINT has not thu
capacity to anstain fur larger population
than Naw Moxlco md Arizona now lIayo or
over will have.
| These Territories should be consolidated
ai,d admitted s0u,e time hereafter rs one
State, 1t would bba gross injustice to thirty
States III thu Union to admit tl,em ns two
States; MD their poor md scanty population
nrn unable to support tho serious cost OF
State Government. One "rotten-borough
Statu llke Nevada from the arll tnountaIl,
country of tho Fur West fs enough.