Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1891-09-09
F. NJ. Murphy yesterday received


 a very pleasant letter from Hon. W. W. Bowers. congressman elect from Southern California, acknowledging
 the receipt of a copy of Baumanns
 pictures of Prescott andthe Congress
 mining camp which were sent to
 him by Superintendent Murphy
 Mir. Bowers manifests deep inter
 est in Arizona, and states that he
 had placed the pictures in the chamber of commerce rooms of San
 Diego, and also stated that he hoped
 to be able to visit Prescott on his
 trip to Washington, to attend the
 next session of congress. From the
 enthusiastic manner in which Mir.
 Bowers writes Arizona will have a
 staunch and jealous friend in him
 in congress.
 A correspondent, signing himself
 F. B., writes very encouraging let
 ter to our contemporary in regard to statehood. That he is statesman
 there is no doubt. This is evidenced
 by his assertion that the silver ques-
 ton will have greater weight with
 senators and congressman in regard
 to the admission of Arizona than
 politics. We suppose it was the Sil-
 yer question that prompted demo
 cratic congress to refuse admission
 to Dakota. when it stood al the door
 and knocked for admission with q
 population of 60O.0oO. The little
 side show at Phenix, called the con
 stitutional convention, concocted by
 a democratic legislature. and which
 the tax payers of Arizona will event
 ually be called on to pay for will be
 barron of results, so far as statehood
 is concerned. The promises of non
 partisanship so generously made will
 amount to nothing, if the party is to
 be judged by its past action. Its in-
 tensely partisan gerrymandering ap-
 portionment bill attempted to be
 passed at the last session of the leg
 islaturs may serve as an example of
 non-parIsan democracy.
 A number of the territorial papers
 which favor statehood at any ex-
 pense, even if it should bankrupt our citizens, are outlining certain things which the proposed constitu- ton should contain. We do not, however, remember of single sug- gestion that has been made that does not provide for additional expense. The JOURNAL MINER has taken stand in opposition to statehood at present for the reason that neither the population or taxable property of the territory warrants il. We are we'll aware of the fact that in doing so certain papers have characterized us as being non-progreSsiye and all that. This argument is met, too. by these self-same papers in citing to some other state that was admitted with as small population, etc, etc. While such is the fact the states cited to were admitted under differ ent conditions Were Arizona an az rieultural country, even to any con siderable degree, We might, by proper effort. increase both our population and taxable property to justify the statehood move. But every one knows that only very small area, comparatively, of the territory is susceptible of being successfully 1 cultivated. And even of this small l area very large proportion Is un- surveyed and not in condition to in- vite settlers to it to make home. We believe We do not oyer-state the | fact when We assert that even with | the practice of the most rigid econo- my the territory runs several thou sand dollars behind now with the as sistance it receives from the general With statehood, all the expenses of territorial officials, ter legislatures and others, which are now paid by the national govern ment, would have to be paid by the tax payers of Arizona. With a de- felt every year at present, with our taxes. territorial, county and munic- ipal, amounting to from 3l to per cent. tax payers will study long time, we think, before they vote to don the more expensive robes of statehood and assume this additional expense. We know that few ad vocates of the measure, who have political ambitions which they think might be gratified through state hood, but who in most instances pay little or no taxes, have fine spun, plausible theories to advance of the great benefits to be derived from be- coming state. Their arguments Ill sound very nicely but theory and are two different proposi- lions, and while there are many, ,ery many, desirable advantages to De gained through statehood and many privileges to be enjoyed which lre now denied our citizens, they are ,nly to be had by paying for them. Dur suggestion to the convention hen, which meets next Monday, is O frame a constitution which will provide for the reduction of expenses, , III along the line, instead of one that vill provide for additional officers nd consequently additional ex- ,enses over those at present, and if ' hey can show from it that state V can be run under it V without greater expense than the 1,