Arizona silver belt., 1891-09-26
RAILROADS.

m the Territory Of ArlZone' has had the effect within the prescribed six months from the date of its approval, of filing sixty-two intentions to build and equip railroads within the Territo- ". The inducement to build is OK enption from taxation for twenty years. The law requires that actual construc- tion shall be commenced within six months from the date of the filing of intention to build and that the work shall progress at the rate of fifty miles per annum, from the time of commence ment until complete, provided that any road built under the provisions of the act shall run one train per day, each way, along said line for the ac- oommodation of passengers and freight from and between the terminal points,
 Is 1t dream that Arizona Is to be veined with railroads as prescribed in the act, or is it law affording specu- lators in railroad franchise the oppor- tunity for turning m honest penny? Practical business men will ask them selves the question how many of the sixty-two charters will find a purchaser. We are of the opinion that some of the owners of a franchise will still buy their groceries on credit.
 Allegorically !" 'tis money makes the mare go, and without it, modernized railways are not built A contrivance for facilitating the transit oi coal by horses from the mine in Northumber- land and Durham, England, to the places of shipment on the Tyne and Wear, suggested the use of cast-iron rails, and it was not until some years subsequent, a locomotive was so far perfected as to be enabled to move ten tons at the rate of five miles an hour Railways in the United States date from 1880, and although of rapid growth, t is impossible to tell when even major part of the sixty-two proposed railroads in Arizona will have up boards with the inscription, at crossroads: Look out for the locomotive when the bell rings.
 Inasmueh as the act approved March 16th, 1891, denies exemption from tax ation to any railroad not built for pub lie use, nor to any road not supplied with first class accommodation to the travelling public, and to roads not built at the rate of fifty miles per annum, or work done in the construction of said road equivalent to the completion of fifty miles per anlum of said road from the time of commencement, (March l6, 1s92), unless completed in its entirety and in running order from initial and terminal points, as provided by the act of the legislature, entitled, gro en- courage the construction of railroads within the Territory of Arizona.
 It seems that the liberal exemption from taxation for twenty years was not a sufficient inducement to render franchise saleable and, therefore, the question of granting subsidies came up in the Constitutional Convention, on the motion to amend Section 39 of the report of the committee on legislation, which only authorizes the subsidizing of railroads and other quasi public en terprizes Barnes moved to require A two-thirds vote to grant subsidy; Smith opposed all subsidies Alexander favored limiting voting to tax payers only; Williams moved to refer it back to the legislative committee. Barnes said he could not concode the authori- ty to a property qualification Smith said, ''I am sorry that this bill should be lost in debate; I am opposed to sub sidies; don't consider one set of men has the right to vote on the money of any one else Barnes amendment, as amended by Norris, allowing subsidies where two-thirds majority of the qualified voters, irrespective of proper ty qualifications, favored any subsidy, was adopted.
 In view of the adoption of this amendment, it behooves us to know who are voters, By reference to the Revised Statutes of 1887 we find that "every male citizen of the United States and every male citizen of Mexico who shall have elected to become cit izen of the United States under the treaty of peace, exchanged and ratified at Quintero on the 3Oth day of May 1s4s, and the Gadsden treaty of 1854, every male person who shall have de- clared on oath before a competent court of record his intention to become O citizen of the United States, and shall have taken an oath to support the constitution and government of tho United States, of the age of twenty-one years, who shall have been resident of the Territory six months next pre- ceding the election, and of the county or precinct in which he claims his vote, ten days, and whose name is enrolled on the Great Register of such county, shall be entitled to vote at all elections which are now or may hereafter be
 authorized by law, except idiots or in-
 sane persons, or persons convicted of