The oasis., 1894-02-15
CONSOLIDATION NOT WANTED.

extent of the reported sentiment in
 congress favoring union of Arizona
 and New Mexico and their admission
 as a single state; but it believes that
 a vigorous protest against the propo-
 sitiOn should be immediately forwardd | to Washington. Such consolidation
 would work harm to Arizona in more
 ways than one. There are number
 of almost irreconcilable differences in
 the educational, jury, financial, legis-
 latiye, judicial, social and official systems of the two territories that cannot be harmonized without irrep- erable loss to Arizona.
 In the matter of public education the Arizona system ranks among the the best in the union; tha. of New
 Mexico ranks among the worst, if not the very worst. As stated in an arti- cle copied from the Los Angeles Times, in another column, but two states pay more per census child into the public school fund, and on the basis of aver age attendance Arizona pays more per capita than any other state or ter ritory. New MexicO--it is safe to say pays the least. In Arizona the rate which may be levied by local taxa tion to support schools is eight mills: in New Mexico it is but five, and only recently have the friends of educa- tion in that territory been able to se cure the right to tax their own prop erty to defray the cost of educating their own children. In Arizona the school system is strictly non-sectarian; in New Mexico the friends of public education were unable to enact law creating public school system with out including priestly monk in the territorial board of education, and on direct vote clause declaring the school system it created should be n0n-sectarian was stricken from the oill. Afterward, in lot of amend ments to another bill, the non-secta- rian clause slipped into the law un- perceived, and after the legislature had adjourned priest who had been very active in having the nOn-sectarian clause stricken out, addressed a very querulous letter to the author of the original bill, inquiring if he was aware that the objectionable clause had be- come law. The law says that the school system shall be non-sectarian: but at the last election a Dominican friar was elected school superintend- ent of Santa Fe county, and sometime in 1892 Archbishop Salponte bitterly assailed, both publicly and privately, the chairman ofthe city board of edu- cation at Santa Fe, because he would not employ two nuns as teachers un- less they first passed the examination the law requires. Arizona does not want partnership like that in her statehood.
 In the Arizona jury system a juror don't get into the box unless he can read and write. and all court and leg islatiye proceedings are conducted in the English language; In New Mexico the intelligent jury are frequently un- able to read and write or speak word of English, while court officials, law rers and witnesses speak no Spanish That way the interpreter was the most and conspicuous parsonage in the court. It is the same in all legislative proceedings. Formerly no place was closed to presumptuous ignorance, but five years ago the legis- lature enacted that no one who can not read and write shall hold office or
 No.., AT. .,;o<. .