Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1896-01-25
AMBITIOUS TERRITORIES.

The following well written editorial
is from the New York Mail and Express
and although it sntedated several Gays
the miserable action OF the committee
on territoriee. it most certainly 10 the
last paragraph voiced their inoiVious'
oninions. Arizona as may be noted is
oonceeoediy entitled to the rights ano
priyileges of statehood but these rignts,
while admittedly great, are ignored 10
the interests OF eastern capitalists. Ine
fear of increasing the silver representa-
tion determined the action OF the com
u,;ttee and following the advice OF wall
street. the territories are denied the
RIGHT of admission to statehood.
IL the people of Arizons, New Mexico
and Oklahoma could have their way,
rlere would be three new states eooeo
to the union, making total OF Iorty-
eioht- This is a leudable ambition on
their part. but il does not follow tnst IL
should be hastily gratifed. Still, tney
have earnest advocates, even indepeno'
ent of the three territorial delegates rep
resepting these aspirents for statenooo.
Bills have been introduced proVioius
for their admission, and their irienuo
and represen tatives are RctlVeiy push
ing their claims before the commlttee
ON terrii ories. in order to secure an early
and, if D Dssible, favorable report
IL viii remembered that bill to ao-
nit New Mexico to the union was pass
ed by the house of representatives July
%. 1884. but that no action was TAKEN
on il by the senate. A similar bill was
nassed by the house December 10, 1885,
TO ad init Arizona, and il likewise failed
of action in the senate. statenooo
convestlon was held in Oklahoma on
December last for the expression or
the popular sentiment throughout the
territory on this question. 1t is need
less to say that the people are unit,
both as to the desirsbility OF admission
as a state and as to their ellglolllty 10
statehood. The same feeling has pre-
vailed for years in Arizona and New
Mexico.
IT is clear that if these territories are
to be thwarted 10 their am eition ln this
direction, their opponents Will have TO
rely on some more formidable oblections
than those relating 20 area, wealth ano
population. The area of Oklahoma is
39O3O square miles. Its population is
275.OOO. and its assessed valuation or
taxable property is S30,GC0,000. Arizona
has an area of 1l3, ,020 square miles. being
the sixth largest political DIVISION 10 tne
United States; it's population is 7,OOO
exclusive of Indians, and its assessed
valuation of taxable property is 81 ,olo,
332 40. New Mexico has an area OF
I'D $50 square miles; population Of
lS5. 600 and an assessed valuation OF tax
able property of about S2O.OOO,UOO.
These figures do not represent, IN any
way, the vast and practically incsleal-
able resources OF these enormous terri
torial empires. In all natural respects
their eligibility to statehood exceeds
that of moet, il not all, OF the recently
admitted states. But there are other
considerations which are worthy OF at
tenslon in discussing so important e
question.
One of the principal objections to an
immediate admission OF these territories
is that it would increase by six votes the
free coinage contingent in the senate, to
saw nothing of the three full fiedRed con-
gressmen of the same stripe. This is
serious reflection, and, iD view OF the
present pernicious activity and inf1ueDce
of the free silver senators, it is sufficient
to call for great caution and deliberation
in the discrimination Of this proposition.
It is a well known fact that the free Sill
YER strength would today be unimport-
ant but for the twelve added senatorial
votes by the recent admission OF North
and South Dakota, Wyoming. Montana,
Idaho, and Utah. 1t behooves us to go
clou IN this m altar