Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-12-01
The situation at Clifton.
] r0m the CIarion. J

There appears 10 be from the various
 comments m the different papers of Ari
 zona and New Mexico so much of mis-
 conception concerning the town oi ! Clifton, that we propose if possible
 10 correct some of these false ideas by . | few plain statements of facts.
 In the first place, 1t has been stated by
 the press generally Of the Territory that
 a persons life a0d property were no; | safe here, and that the town under in- ! efficient officers was at the mercy of a gang of cowboys We do not attempt
 to deny the fact that for a time last
 summer there was a great deal of crime
 committed here; but we wish to add ! that there has been none to speak of | since then, and We believe that there
 will be DO more. The gang of cowboys | and rustlers who infested our camp has been entirely broken up. Some of | them are dead; others with prices on ! thelr heads, dare not come back The l first term of court ever held in Graham l county, now ID session, will settle two or three other hard cases who have been
 botherlng us for year past, by sending
 them to Yuma.
 We do not think it necessary to re-
 mind the citizens of the Territory that
 1t is the history of all mining camps
 that t1ere is transition period Oi law
 lessness and crime from the mining camp proper to the quIet and laW-ahi1- Ing town. Such, everyone knows 10 be the case, and We wish to state for the
 benefit of everyone desiring to come Co Clifton that We have passed through onr
 baptism of fire and have come ont of it purified.
 Concerning the lot jumping. over
 which everyone was SO much exercised two or three months ago, there IS noth- ing to say. The question IS now being decided by the proper authorItles-the courts, and that much veIed subject wiil soon be one of the past. We would state, however. that there IS other land ID Clifton besides that covered by the Arizona Copper Company's patent, and We are not eZaggeratiDg when we say that North Clifton wIll soon be a form idable rival of the old town. Dwelling houses and business buildings arc gO- ing up weekly, and with the new street cut through this will be decidedly the prettiest part of town.
 There B another mistake quite prev alent, viz; that Rn American lgbDrer has no chance in Clifton owing to the pres ence uf Mtxicaus and Chinese who un- derbid them in wages. Clifton is no longer a MtXIcan town Persons who We're here year ago coming back now are greatly struck by th @ small number of persons on the street speaking Span lsh. In the years past it was the yer nacular dialect and no one coulj tran sact business unless be spoke the Ian guage. That is all changed now. Eng hsh Is tine universal tongue and will continue to be. The only Chinamen iu The camp, except the universal waehee man are about go of the old China gang at the Longfellow mine which formerly containei 2JO.
 Clifton has never had any great boom and II is well that she never did, for the reaction IS sure to come and many dis appointments follow. There has, how ever, been a steady growth for tue past nine months and 1t is c3u-iuuIlg una bated. Our railroad IS coming to us slowly but surely and people have had time Co grow accustomed t0 1t. On its arrival We do not expect to have any great rush, bu. Te do anticipate steady, healthy growth for our town and We think she deserves it.
 The resources of the town are sufii- ciently well known, and more careful prospecting and development does not cause us to lose faith ID our mines. The recent strike in the Detroit mIne, one of the LongfellUw group. only verities the old prOspector's statement that the L0ngfellow hill is virtually mountain of copper.
 With these facts before us We can see no reason why Clifton should not be success, and We promise any good, in- person coming her protection Tor their lives and property and more money than can be made iu any other l.