The Coconino weekly sun., 1891-11-19
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER l9, 1891
A rAx-PAYER ON STATEHOOD.

A TAN-PA Ek oN SIAiEiioob'
 My attention has been called to an extract from a letter written by Secre- tary Gray of Nevada, and published by the Flagstaff Democrat; which is in- tended to create the impression that every one in Nevada outside of the h. sane Asylum, are contented and strong adherents of statehood etc. In behalf of honesty and truth l desire to say that State Controller J. F, Hallock of Nevada in his report for the year 1890 devotes twenty pages of closely print ed matter to an argument to show that Nevada is in prosperous condition and her state government is being run on an economical basis.
 Under the head of "State Expenses he says; This question has been made bugbear, which some of the newspapers of the State, and other would-be reformers, have dressed up in the most terrifying garb possibly to their conceptions, and vigorously eN- hibited, not only throughout the length and breadth of this commonwealth, on its every great highway and every bridle path, but on every avenue lead ing to it, and at every possible effect i've point throughout the world, until many of our own people have become so oppressed with fear that they are flying the State to get away from the terrible phantom that threatens utter annihilation and the people from be- yond our borders are avoiding it."
 
 ''It has been asserted and reasserted published and republished, that the population and property valuations, have decreased one half since the or ganization of the State Government, etc.
 Have all these discontented citizens of Nevada left the state since Controll- CT HallOck submitted this report on Jan. 5th 1891.
 The facts are that Nevada assumed the responsibilities of State Govern ment under very favorable conditions. The country was prosperous, she had no public debt, and has none to-day, still her taxes average nearly 5 per cent. on a valuation which increases annually to keep up appearances and refute the statements of the discOntent- ed referred to by Controller HallOck. But the assessment rolls themselves show that the property of Nevada as well as its population actually decreas- ed after admission as state. It is a little strange that Secretary Gray has never heard of these statements which were so strong ten months ago. There must be something in them or the Con- troller's report would not have been burdened with this long argument to show that the State of Nevada was on a solid financial basis and the peoples property was safe within her borders
 There have been many other unfair and untrue arguments favoring state hood drawn from Nevada. l believe in fair rational discussion of this question. And when Nevada and her condition is referred to it must be re- membered that Nevada is and always was out of debt while we are heavily burdened with an indebtedness created by our own political bummers and politicians before they were stopped by the limitations placed upon them by the .'Harrison Act" which is now our Organic Law, our Constitution and q very good one in that respect.
 The burden of the argument in favor of Statehood and the adoption of the proposed Constitution is, that it will increase our population and will bring in capital for investment etc. Does high taxation bring men to a stateP Ifyou were capitalist in New York would you prefer to invest in state where you paid four per cent. taxes or in Territory where the peo- pie made their own laws in the usual manner, and paid two and half per cent. tax? Did any one ever hear of man (not politician) deciding that he would not locate in Arizona be- cause he could not vote for President or for Governor.
 When politicians resort to such un- fair, unreasonable arguments as these to catch the vote of the people, it be- gins to look as though there must be some job in the matter. We cannot think that our patented fellow citizen always so prominent in politics and on public occasions, could be misled by such weak transparent sophistry. Then can it be that he wants office, or has some one pet scheme for which Fss !