The Florence tribune., 1900-02-17


 Colorado will not regard her southern neighbor as being in any sense a rival but a competitor for the honors she now holds as producer of gold and silver. In 1897 Colorado wrested from California the title of being the lead ing producer of gold. Colorado has been the chief silver producer for a score of years.
 Arizona is to-day a sparsely settled section of the country. The entire pop ulation could be crowded into Kansas City and still there would be some room over. Arizona possesses almost houudless wealth in her, as yet, unde- veloped gold, silver and copper mines. Arizona has hundreds of square miles of the richest farming land. Arizona has no unexeelled climate. Her growth has been retarded by the domination of an inferior race of saYages for years and the herdsman and prospector who, at least in this western country, have always been the advance agents of better civilization, have had hard and dangerous experience. The terrors of death from murderous marauding bands of Indians have initiated against the progress of the territory. But now the mountains and plains have been rid of the wild man and the prospec- tor and settler may go where he will eth with little fear of anyone molest- ing him if he attends to his own bus mess.
 As to the prospects of Arizona be- coming great producer of the pre- cious metals, there is no reason to be skeptical Prohigate Nature, who has scattered her golden and silver wealth all through the great mountain chains which seam the face of Colorado, has in all probability not confined her gifts to territorial boundaries established by man. State lines and section posts have never cut much figure in fixing the limits of any mining district, and the more these great western mountain ranges are explored by the hardy min CT and faithful prospector. the more certain it is demonstrated that the Rocky Mountain chain is one vast store house of wealth extending from where these ranges first take their rise amid the snows beyond the Arctic cir cle to where they are lost in the south ern seas that wash under the Antarctic circle.
 Colorado contains but a patch of these mountains, Arizona but another. Colorado has, fortunately for her, re- ceived the uninterrupted attention of miner and prospector since the days of the Forty miners. Her real mining history begins about 1859, and for forty years there has been tireless army of veterans toiling over the hills digging her values aud compelling the mountains to yield up their secrets. OCAOAA0O h1Ns ehOo@ NAAS -A-SSeN-t as 8 consequence, great progress in mining, which is her chief industry. Nearly all that is latest and best in mining and all its allied branches is due to her people. It is no wonder then that Colorado stands at the head.
 Arizona is young. Arizona, how ever, is being populated by the same class of men who have made Colorado what she is. The western uplands of America have developed type of man. hood peculiar to themselves. It is a strong, self reliant, brave, fearless classwhich hesitates to assume no task, to face no problem. This is tEe class which is rapidly going into Arizona aud in fact all the surrounding states. The result can be but one way. The future of Arizona will be much like that of Colorado and her history writ ten will be written in the same large, generous terms of grand accomplish ment. Colorado welcomes Arizona and every other state to the race.