Arizona republican., 1901-09-02

fortunate fact that it is but one of
 many calumnies which are so freely
 circulated concerning tfis region.
 One reputable and influential news
 paper, the Los Angeles Times, recog-
 nizing the fact that serious injury is
 being done to Arizona by such exten-
 sive circulation of the Post fake, has
 given largely of it's spacs to refu-
 ton of the ca!umnies. In quoting from
 and discussing the story at length the
 Times says:
 Notwithstanding the fact that there has been such remarkable devsiop- ment in Arizona during the past few
 years in mining, agriculture and other
 industries, notwithstanding the fact
 that the territory is rraversed by two great transconiinental railroads, and | that the capital of the territory has
 become a favorite winter resort for
 wealthy eastern psople who seek a
 mild climate, there are many thou- sans of intelligent and educated peop.e in the east to whom Arizona is still a terra incognta, inhabited by blood thirsty Apaches, wild cowboys, ta- rantu.as, rattl snakes and Gila mon sters. 1nese peculiar and incorrect ideas have been greatly fostered by publications of the Arizona Kicker variety. One might, however, ratur- ally suppose that such a paper as the Chicago Tribune, whose former edi- tor was a regular visitor in Arizona, would have avoided such gross mis- representation of facts as that which appeared in a recent Sunday issue. where half page of letter-press and illustrations was devoted to a de- scription of a section where they cook their dinner without a fire.
 After pointing out many of the pat ent absurdlties of a description which eastern people have been asked to be- tions in Arizona, the Times adds:
 "A stranger reading this. might be puzzled to und rstand how the Ari- zonians carry on their business dur ing the summer months. As a fact, you nay see men working all day .ong in the alfalfa fields and orchards around Phoenix, throughout the sum- mer, and sunstrokes are comparatively unknown, when they do occur bling a,most invariably caused by overindul- gence in stimulants. However, this wise and experienced writer sagely in forms us that the days are spent in absoluta inaction in the adobe housts, and while little sleep can b. obtained, nature does not demand it,
 The so-oalled deserts of Arizona are simply deserts to the ext mt that they have not yet been supplied with water for irrigation, They are just as much deserts as were, tw nty-6ve years ago, the sites upon which River side. and Ontario, and Pomona, and Redlands now stand. There are wiie stretches of fertile soil, covered with palo verde, ironwood cactus of nany varieties, bunch grass and frequently win groves of mesquite tr.es, which are big enough tc be cut for timbr, while after the rains the so-callcd des- ert is brilliant with the variegated hues of a gr5 at variety of wild flowers. These, indeed, are not entirely lacking during any month of the year. Even wild plant food is plentiful.
 Tn case any stranger should be led by this and other similar publications to believe that Arizona is really a GeSert, 1t may be mentioned that the United States census for 1900 shows that there are in Arizona 5,sO9 farms, with a total acreage cf 1,935,S27 acres, of which 254,52l acres are improved. Quite fertile desert tnis when it Is considered that only within the past twenty y y-ars has thera been any at ,empt made in Arizona to cultivate the soil on a business-like scale"