Arizona silver belt., 1901-02-07
ARIZONA THEN AND NBW.
The First Legislative Assembly Met Under Conditions Radically Differ ent from Those Attending the
 Present Session

Thirty-siy years ago the first session of the Arizona legislature was held The session began in Prescott, then just established, in September 1861. John x. Goodwin, of Name, was gov ernor and R. O. Mccormick was secre- Jary. The session was held in d log house belonging to F. J Christy and Van C. Smith, the latter being the first sheriff ever inducted into that office in Arizona, he being appointed by Governor Goodwin. The house or. Jones, of Tucson, as speaker. Mir. Jones was brilliant lawyer and was Known for years as the lomliest nan in Arizona. The gentleman later went to Honolulu where he died. The coun- cil organized by the election of Coles Bashford as president. The members Of the legislature, and visitors slept on the ground on what is now the court house plaza, as there were no lodging houses in the new town at the time. Arizona was then divided into three counties, Yavapai, Pima and Mohave, and the first legislature began its la bOrS in the territory just organized, under many trying difficulties. The country was new and unknown, sparse iy settled by white men, abounding in hostile Indians who guarded every trail and water hole, who rode fear lessly at will
 The seed planted in that little tow n under the shadow of the pine hills, thirty-siX years ago have borne fruit These pioneers drove the stakes and blazed the pathway for more to follow; they served notice on the outside world that Arizona was a part and parcel of the American republic. The first lawmaking body of Arizona trans acted business in log house and slept in their blankets on the ground. They were sturdy set of men, not a few of them having been prominenIin the affairs of Arizona ln recent years. They met and mastered all adverse conditions. The rough walls and crude benches were not critized; the earth for a bedroom found no objecturs among the members of this first law making body.
 The present legislature of Arizona, the twentY-trst. meets in beautiful new building which belongs JU the territory; every convenience that the most fastidiOus could ask for, fine date their every want. What con trast from that log cabin under the Prescott hillsides with the tUwnsite for bed room, to the handsome, ele gant state capitol building located in modern city with every improve ment, ffrst-clasS hotels, restaurants and lodging houses. electric cars, etc.
 This is only utilized as an apt illus. traitor of the marvellous growth and development of Arizona: from child clad in the uncouJh garments of semi civilization, struggling against rebel hon. Indian and every adverse con ditiOn that such evils could produce, to the strong, clean limbed youth Of stur- dy parentage, clothed in the uniform of an eXpectant state, ready and able Uo care for itselt under any and all cir cumStances: such is the picture of Arizona, it's past and it's present. It's future can only be judged by it's past. It has struggled against every adverse circumstance that is lnSeparable from frontier civilization. and overcome them all till today few states in the American union are better and more widely known than is Arizona. We have the richest mines in the world, the finest pasture land, the most fam ous agricultural lands on the habita- ble globe. Our oranges and our cop per are both noted the country over for superior qualities, and both are in creasing with pleasing ratio.
 We are growing in wealth, in popu- lation and intelligence and today 1t is safe to assert that the present youths of Arizona will live to realize aRd eX perience that one of the richest coun- tries under the dominion of Uncle sam is our own Arizona. Phoenix Daily Gazette.