Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1892-06-13
Arizona and New Mexico.

The bills for the admission OF Arizona
and New Mexico have reached the senate
and have been referred to the committee
on territories. 1t is to be hoped that the
committee will promptly report them for
passage and that before many days the
president will have signed the bills which
will enable the people of Arizona and
New Mexico to organize state govern
ments.
There are two possible objections to the
admission OF these proposed states which
may be raised in the senate. The first is
one which will appeal to Republican SEN
ators alone if it appeals to any one. 1t
has been claimed that New Mexico and
Arizona are Democratic, and this is
probably true in respect of the latter. 1t
will be matter of deep regret if any
Republican senator should vote against
the admission of these territories as states
on the ground of their probable political
complexion. 1t can easily be provided
that they shall take no part in the ap.
preaching presidential election, and if
this were done they would participate in
the election OF no president before 1896.
Presuming that the new states would
take no part in the approaching presiden-
tal election, it would be unworthy of the
Republican senators to vote against their
admission on partisan grounds, for in a
case of this sort the prime consideration
| is, not how state may cast its electoral
vote, but whether the people shall have
the right of disagreement.
The other possible objection is one that
has no weight with the people of the
west, but which with the inhabitants Of
the east may have some force. 1t is that
the population OF these territories is small
This is specially true of Arizona. New
Workers are likely to say that it would be
an outrage upon the great state of New
York, with its nearly 6,000, 900 inhahit-
ants, to allow Arizona with its less than
100000 population to have an equal voice
with New York in the United States
senate. This objection is part and parcel
with the common disposition which re-
fuses 10 recognize the federal character OF
the Union.
The fact that state participates in the
| federal government is matter of small
consequence compared with the fact that
in state the people govern themselves.
| The doctrine was long ago laid down by
| tlO IOuIt VI lu6 y ulltu pldIts
that a territorial government is tenn
porary expedient only. The design OF the
American Union calls for union OF states,
and territorial government is merely a
temporary expedient which should be
continued only so long as the people are
not in condition to maintain a state
government. A territory is province of
the federal government, and provincial
government is contrary to the spirit of
our institutions.
The corner stone of American institu-
tons is that all governments derive their
just powers from the consent of the gov
erned. The governing power is in the
people. They have rightto choose their
magistrates, their legislators and their
executive officers, and, in so far as this
is denied, the government is unAmer-
lean. 1t follows, therefore, that ii the
people of New Mexico and Arizona are
capable OF maintaining state govern
ments, they have right to come before
congress not with petition but with a
demand, that they be accorded the right
which belongs TO all American citizens of
establishing and maintaining govern
ment of their own. The right of an
American citizen to say who shall be the
officials of bis government, should be as
sacred in Arizona as it is within the
shadow of Bunker Hil.-Denver Repub-
lican.