The copper era., 1901-01-10

county will make a determined HGnt
 for county division. We believe the
 majority Of the bounty are in favor ol
 division and if this proves to be
 the case the division certainly will
 take place.-Guardian.
 How about the Guardian, does it fa-
 vor division? Is that paper willing to
 sacrifice the present prosperous con-
 dition in Graham county, and the cer-
 tain promise of lower taxes in the
 near future, simply to make its chances
 better for moving the county seat from
 Sulomonvine? If Graham county is
 divided on line between the valley
 and Clifton the people in the valley
 are the ones that will get the worst
 end of the bargain. They would be
 hit hard in the loss of the means ne-
 cessarv to maintain the public schools.
 The limit Of tax permitted for schools is so cents on the SlO0 property valu- ation and with that alone (and that
 would be about all available in the val ley county in the absence of enforced payment of schoo. taxi our schools
 would be practically closed, as the amount of money which such an as sessment would bring would not run the schools five months as the law dl- rects. If the county Is divided on the lines proposed Clifton would take nine school districts, leaving twenty-five in
 the valley county. On such division the valley county would probably have Sl,2J0, 600, not more. The present school tax levy on that amount of prop erty would not bring more than SS,5OO, after allowing for dclinqucnctes. Last year the total expense ol the valley school districts and those west of the Graham mountains was Sl6,5OO! The schools were maintained for this money less than six months average term. Besides the tax levy, money comes to the treasury for school purposes from gambling licenses and the poll tax. Before the amendment ut the law com polling the payment of poll tax be- fore voting there was not ten per cent of the poll tax collected in the valley. The money from gambling license m the valley county would amount to practically nothing Bulletin
 In other words Clifton aud Morenci are putting up the money for the schools af the county, but are them selves deprived of schools. Morenci, with population of 2,500, is compelled to run her school with but one teacher, and Clifton, with a larger population, for the second time in her history, is allowed two teachers The school is so crowded that many of the children can attend only half day each, yet according to the Bulletin these two places pay the taxes which support the schools oi the county. It is very poor argument which will not work both ways, Mir. Kelly. To say that the school children of Clifton and Morenci should continue to be deprived of edu- cational facilities that the schools of tbc valley may be maintained, Is to ,ake a very narrow and selfish view of the question of county division. If the people of the valley will have no rcve- uue from gambling license, they will avoid the payment of taxes for crlmi nal prosecution, witness fees and court costs in criminal eases, which they have heretofore claimed were bank rupting the county. They claim that all of the criminals come from the eastern side of the county and that they are compelled to pay heavy tax to assist in the prosecution of such cases. There is much truth in the claim. but the eastern portion of tke county is now willing to look after its own criminals. This item alone would be big saving to the people of the valley hut if WOuld not prove an in- creased burden to the people of the new county for the reason that the criminals would be prosecuted where their crimes were committed, thus saving an immense sum annually in witness fees, etc, besides the time lost aud expense of attending court at S=.- 
 The Bulletin has several times an nounces that the time would soon come | when Graham county should be divided | but thinks it should be delayed a few | years longer. The time has arrived. ] A large majority of the people and tax | payers tavor division. The people of | the eastern portion of the county have been put to great inconvenience and ex- pense in attending court at Solomon vile. and they now demand relief, which will be granted by the incom- ing legislature.
 ACCORDING to the report of the di- 1 ,ector of the mint \ rizona is seventh 1