Arizona republican., 1890-07-08
THE CITIZEN ON STATEHOOD.

OuHudl DtlHR sOlHCWudI bl q Quict day, we devoted part of it to review of the files of the newspapers in the Territorial Library. The result was quite interesting and gave us new light on many things.
 The other day THE REPUBLICAN said :
 A change seems to have come over the spirit of the Citizen Under Mir. Browns manage ment it appears to repudiate those things 1t favored under MT. Tenneys management The Citizen was the first paper to urge the supervisors to call for convention. Now 1t opposes the idea. Isn't this qualification?
 To this the Citizen, few days ago, re- sponded as follows:
 The "organ," being a stranger in the country, seems to have an imperfect knowledge of the affair The Citizen was neither the first nor the last paper to urge the supervisors to issue call for q constitutional convention.
 To show to the Citizen that it is en- tirely mistaken in this matter, we re- produce a few of it's editorials of the past.
 In August last, for instance, it said:
 But in opposition to this view it may be cited that we have many fool laws on our statute books which are ignored because i'm practicable and inexpedient and opposed by the more intelligent and conservative class of citi- zens who mould public opinion. should the Governor feel warranted in disregarding the Convention Act, he may rest assured that he will be sustained by the taxpayers of the Ter ritory.
 Ten days later, it spoke even more strongly, as evidenced by the following editorial:
 The Phoenix Gazette and the Tombstone Epi- taph are doing great amount of angry talking about the Constitutional Convention Act. They are making SO much noise and stirring up such q cloud of dust around themselves that they could neither see a streak of lightning or hear the thunder
 Of course we know just who control these papers and directs their policy. Aside from this we say let the issue be fairly met. To begin with, it does not require an act of the legisla- ture to hold q convention and further, we hon estly believe that we are not yet ready either in population or wealth to attempt the costly ex- pense, and we believe that a very large majority of the people of the Territory thinkas we do, yet If by any popular movement you can convince us that a reasonable majority of the people desire such convention to
  ritory, just as Wyoming people are now do- ing, we will not oppose the will Of the people On the contrary, we will work willingly to attain such end for we believe in majority rule and we believe that we know Governor Wolhey well enough to speak for him; he, no matter what his own views are, will do what he be- lieves to be the wish of the majority. If the advocates of Statehood are honest in their views and feeling that majority of the people of this Territory want Statehood, start the ball rolling, and if by popular vote or in any fair way an ex- pression of the people by Q popular majority is shown to favor Statehood we too will ask the Governor to eall as the Wyoming Governor has done, convention without expense to tho Ter ritory.
 A few days after the limitation of the act, the Citizen patted Governor Woliey on the back as follows:
 One cannot but admire the moral courage of Governor Wolhey, who amid the bowling and rawlings of disappointed politicians and their hangers on, pursues the even tenor of his way, the law as he sees it for the right, re- gardless of what may be said by friends or enemies in relation thereto. His course, in so far as 1t relates to the calling of the constitu tional convention, has been consistent and persistent He believed that an unnecessary expense was about to be saddled upon the al- ready overtaxed people, and as became q good strong in the performance of his duty, he sought, by legal means to avoid the threat ened issue and so far succeeded as to lawfully refuse making the constitutional call. For this he truly is deserving the thanks of the people of the Territory The accusation of his assumption of arbitrary power are void and groundless, as he stands solely on the law.
 Mir. Brown, the Governor seems to go on just in the same groove, "strong in the performance of his duty" all l charges of assumption of arbitrary powers" being "void and groundless, as he stands solely on the law" Did a change come over the Citizen, or will it