Graham guardian., 1898-01-07
LET THE PEOPLE GOVERN.

The Board of Supervisors off
Graham county on Wednesday
last adopted . set of resolutions,
which will appear in their minutes,
strongly endorsing home rule and
urging Congress to pass the bill.
The action of the Board in this
matter is simply carrying out the
sentiments of the people Of Ora
ham county.
The cry against homo rule is un-
just and only comes from those
whose purposes are best served by
its defeat. The papers of the Ter
ritory fighting it would fight state.
hood just as quick if they thought
there was ghost of show for its
passage. They yell for statehood
now because they know that the
present Congress will mot pass it.
Our Delegate in Congress will
press statehood because he knows
that the honest people of the Ter
ritory desire it, but when it is de-
RATED, as 1t will be, he will fight
for home rule, and we hope to see
the bill pass. Why should the
people of this fair Territory be
governed by an appointing power
thousands of miles away? Why
does anyone fight against the pas.
sage of the home rule bill? Be-
cuuse they know that as soon as
il becomes a law and the people
have right to elect their own of
iicers that their places at the pub
lie crib will be filed by men OF the
peoples choice. AS long as the
appointing power remains in Wash
ington they have good thing, but
give the people the power of cleo
tion and that good thing would
cease. Statehood would have the
same effect, but they know there is
no possibility of its passage, hence
they favor ii, Give it the same
chance of passage as the home rule
bill has and how suddenly their
tune would change.
On February End, 1894, Wiley
e. Jones made speech before the
Senate Committee on Territories.
His closing argument, while made
in favor of statehood, that being
refused, is strong argument for
home rule. He closed his argu,
ment as follows:
"Why should our local laws be
subject to the approval and execu-
tive will, our Territorial taxes be
levied and expended, and our peo.
pie governed, all under the direc-
tion and supervision Of Depar,-
ment Agent, holding his commls-
sion, not from our intelligent, lib
erty-lovlng people, but from an ap,
pointing power 5000 miles distant?
These are considerations which ap.
peal to the Judgment. Our simple
request is that our people who pay
our taxes and pay the burden of
Territorial government shall have
q potent voice IN the levy, collec-
tiou and disbursement of our Ter
ritorial taxes, that our executive
and administrative officers be Sc.
lected by the voice of our people
and be fully answerable to our
people for their official conduct.
Statehood will give us this. A
worthy stranger then coming in
our midst will not feel that he is
surrendering those privileges which
he mas enjoyed during long years
ofresidence in eastern states. Cap
ital will possess a feeling of securi-
ty in knowing that its owner has a
voice in the selection Of the taxing
and disbursing officers.
"Many of our people are old
pioneers who have lived long years
in Arizona, Drawing with stout
hearts the many dangers of the
frontier when each man was his
own sentinel; the guardian of his
own campfire. Many a patriarch,
al head is whitened Ger, aud many
a cheek is bronzed and furrowed
by the weary of hardship and
struggle while looking hopefully |
forward to the dawn of this hour
of prosperity and peace"
THE BuILerin's last masterly ar
gument(?) in favor Of the boleta
system is almost too weak for
notice. 1t attempts to make it
synonymous with the system of
trade carried on among merchants