The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-05-01
How New States Should BE Made.

ROW Now states SnOulu DC Naues
In discussing the proposal recently sci
forth in these columns to divide Utah be-
tween Nevada and Colorado and to combine
New Mexico and Arizona for admission into
the Union as single State. tho Chicago
Tribune makes these sensible observations
There IL no other way In which they can be ad
mitci that will be satisfactory to the people OF the
country There 10 no other method that can Ue relied
upon to reform the rotten borough system. There is
other in which Nevada be saved from ruin
and Utah from the curse OF Mormonism. The bills for
adns now pending in Congress should bs amended
on these lines"
The fact is that the more these projects
are studied. the clearer their advantages
will appear. and tho less weight will be ut
tached to their drawbacks.
Taking first the Utah plan it is the one
practicable way OF repairing for the future
the wrong done by the premature admis-
sion Of Nevada In 1864. That State. which
had 42,4ol people in 1870. could show only
45.76l in 1890. Perhaps it has still fewer to-
day; for in 1880 it had 6a, 266 people. so that
it actually lost one-fourth Of its population
In ten years. But even supposing that this
drain has been checked, and that Nevada
contains Us many people now as it did two
years ago. that is gain OF only 327o souls
in more than twenty years. During half OF
that same period tho apportionment re-
quircd for Representatives in Congress has
increased $4,000. Hence Nevada, whose pop
ulation OF 1890 is only about one-fourth Of
the new apportionment based on that year.
is hopelessly falling behind.
But if she should annex two-thirds Of Utah.
%bn .,f nr1, tAn
sion OF the boundary line between Idaho
and Wyoming. she would have a population
OF u quarter OF n million. While Nevada.
between 1880 and 1890. was losing 1880
people from her scanty population. Utah
was adding to hers $4,000. or moro than
40 per cent. Reinforced by this thriving
ncighbor. Nevada would become State,
instead OF an aggregation OF mining camps.
and she would deserve her Representative
in Congress and brace OF Senators. The
division Of Utah on tho line suggested
would avoid giving Nevada too much terri
tory to take care OF with her increased
population. She would get nine-tenths OF
Utah's population. but only two-thirds
OF Utah's area. while to Colorado would go
the other third. with its tenth Of the popu-
lation. Then. too. the question Of Mormon
polygamy would be settled at once and for
united populations.
Tho merging OF New Mexico and Arizona
will repair another political blunder. that OF
their separation about thirty years ago.
This act weakened them both, and perhaps
prevented them from becoming States
years ago. New Mexico ought to DO
State. Its population in 1890 surpassed
that Of Wyoming and Idaho combined.
and was more than 10000 greater than
that OF Montana. But Arizona's 59.626
In 1890 is only about one-thild OF the new
Representative apportionmeht. although
she treads closely on Wyoming's 6O.7O5.
She Is no more fitted for Statehood than
were Wyoming. Idaho. and Montana. Her
population increased nearly one-half from
1880 to 1890; but supposing it to go on in
creasing in the same ratio. twenty years
from now it would be less than the Repre-
sentative apportionment figures for Con-
gress were under the old census OF 1880; and
even in 1920 it would still DO far below the
apportionment figures of that day.
Put Arizona and New Mexico together.
and they start with a population OF 225.0O
to-day. which would DO far in excess of the
new Representative apportionment Of 49,
SOL. Their interests are alike. They have the
same origin and history. their populations
are formed of the same mingling OF races.
their products and resources are similar,
and they have the same needs Of irrigation
and Of the settlement OF land titles. They
would simply be reunited; and there was
never any real need of setting apart Ari-
IONA. Facilities for travel in that region
are incomparably greater to-day than in
1873. when 1t was organized as separate
so that any force in the argument
from convenience on that score has been
greatly lcssened.
1t may be said that tho combined areas OF
New Mexico and Arizona would be so great
as always to provoke separation. 1t is
true that tho aggregate would be 235.60O
square miles. There would be deduction.
however. of tho northwestern corner OF New
Mexico. on the right bank OF tho Colorado.
which. as the Chicago Tribune correctly
points out. should go with Utah to the en-
largement OF Nevada. on account OF the i'm
passable nature Of most of the great canon
Of the Colorado. That would still leave per-
haps 100000 square miles. But Texas. with
more than ten times the population Of New
Mexico and Arizona combined. has 2G5.78O
square miles. SO that there Is very little in
this objection OF increased area.
These two plans. taken together. would
dispose OF the Territorial question; for
Oklahoma must watt and Alaska has no
pretensions to becoming State. Nevada
would cease to be byword and a reproach;
the question of poygamy would be settled.
and so would that OF Mormonism itself. as
q political factor; while the people OF Ari-
IONA and Utah would at once become citi-
zens Of States and so reach a goal they
may otherwise struggle for In vain during
years to come.