The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1891-11-21

EDITOR ENTERPRISE:-I nave
been asked upon several occasions
my reasons for not supporting the
constitution which we shall soon
be called upon to adopt or reject.
l will preface my remarks by say
ing that | know full well that | am
not on the popular side on this
measure, but that makes no differ
ence to me, and however anxious |
am for statehood | am not in favor
of casting my vote in support Of
the present constitution as drafted
by the late convention held at
Phoenix. | am fully aware also
of what dangerous ground [ am
treading on when | differ from the
very wise and sapient heads who
in convention assembled formu-
lated our constitution that is to be.
Article V, Sec. II, fixes the sal
aries of the judges Of the Supreme
court at four thousand dollars per
annum, and judges of the district
court at thirty-five hundred dol
lars, but the governors salary is
only fixed at twenty-five hundred
dollars yearly. Now, is not this
paying very high for the judiciary
or very low for the governor? 1t
looks to me very much as if some
member of the bar got in his work
on this part Of the constitution as
well as in a good many other parts
of it. While the federal govern
ment paid our territorial judges
only twenty-five hundred dollars
per annum, there was scarcely a
lawyer in the Territory but was
anxious to obtain the position, and
there are ten thousand good law
yers in the eastern states that
would be glad to take the place at
that figure, and leave home, kind
red and friends to cone out to this
sun-kissed land t. dispense justice
and glad Of the chance. We who
have lived for many years in Ari-
zona have had some experience
with some of these judges, and |
and must say, it was not creditable
to them or satisfactory to the peo-
pie. The convention, in its wis
dom, refused to confer civil juris
diction upon the probate courts to
the amount of one thousand dollars,
on the grounds of the incompet
ency of the judges, and at the same
time permitted them to pass upon
estates worth a hundred thousand.
Twenty-Five thousand and five
hundred dollars worth of legal
opinion yearly is a rather expen-
sive luxury, and as [ said before,
if some member of the bar did not
get his work in here | would like
very much to know who did.
Article VI. Taxation and rev.
enue Sec, 3.-"For state revenue,
there shall be levied annually a
tax not to exceed three mills on
the dollar except for the support of
state, educational and charitable
institutions, the payment of the
state debt, and the interest there
on" That exception, in my hum
BILE opinion, will be a toIerable
large one. The article on taxation
is altogether misleading, for while
the rate of taxation for both state
and county purposes appears a
very low one, it does not cover the
largest items Of expenditure, both
by the state and by the counties.
The state will have to levy ad-
ditiOnal taxes for the penitentiary.
insane asylum, university, no. nal
school, to pay the public debt, with
interest thereon, and last, tao not
least, for the building Of the cap
tol building at Phoenix.
With our present rate of tax
alton we are falling behind from
forty to fifty thousand dollars
year, AID this notwi' rs landing the
federal government pays So rye
part of our necessary expense;
and yet am told upon every oia,
that state government will ia
less expe nsive than the present
territorial form of government. 1
cannot see it, but then it is prob
able am so thick-headed or stuJ
born that do not Mant t. see it.
I am at a loss to understand
how any man Of common discern