The Florence tribune., 1897-09-18
AN ARGUMENT FOR STATEHOOD.

A late number of the Lordsburg (N. M.) Western Liberal has the following argument in favor of the speedy admis- sion of the remaining territories to the dignity of statehood.
 Many persons have hkened the condition of a territory to that of youth. A manchild is born, he is weak aad helpless he has to be cared for by his father, he increases in yea S in strength, in wisdom aud in power. At last comes the time when he has rsaciied the estate of manhood. Then cones the ques- ton: Shall he go out into the world, fight his own battles, care for himself, be man? {? Or shall be stay N ith his father, do little work for him, let the old man fight his battles, and depend on his pocketbook for the rights and privileges others secure for themselves? A territory is carved out of the public domain of the United States. The federal government considers it as child. It provides governor, judges and other officers, and pays for its les islaturs and other expenses.
 It is the father of the child. People move in they become numerous and prosperous. They are able to care for themselves They think they can pay their expenses, The spirit of manhood begins to assert itself. Tie want to be men among other men, They want the territory to come of aGep and take its place with the other states of the nation. They may not be as rich as the richest. They may not be as wise as the wisest. They think, however, that they can make their own way in the world, and if they cannot acquire all the riches necessary to make them equal with the richest, nor the wisdom necessary to class with the wisest, they wi neyesfheless, have the man. hood, necessary to make Q place in the world and they are willing to take the best place they can get and then work for a bet ter. In this territory there are, the Liberal is sorry to see, certain men who are like the molly eoddles, who are afrid, or too lazy, to break away from the fathers pro- tecting arm and pccketbook, and go out in the world and make place for themselves They say New Mexico is not able to care for itself that it cannot pay its bills. that it must stay c territory and depend on appro- priations from congress to help pay its ex- penses- They say there is no material reason why the territory should be made a state. that it will not increase any faster in wealth and population when a state, that it will have t o pay its own bills and will not have much money with which to do it. Which boy do you think the most of, the one who stays at home long after he has reached the age of twenty-one lives with the old man, wears good clothes. and has his bills paid from the paternal pocketbooK, or the young fellow that gets out and hustles. depriyes himself of some of the necessities of life. but gets along in the world and Is man? Will the people of the territory listen to these old fogies who want to keep New Mexico territory so that the United States will pay some of our bills or will they get out and assert their manhood. along with it's trials and tribulations, and demand recognition as state? The Liberal believes that majority of our people are men, not papa's boys. but with sorrow it admits that there are more of the latter class in the territory than 1t likes to see.