Arizona republican., 1902-11-17
Welcome, Senators.

who are now in Arizona, Investigating
 her claims to place in the union oi
 states. will meet everywhere a cordial
 and unqualified welcome. The only re-
 eret is that they are travelling under such a limited schedule that they can not acquire that full information which
 each of them undoubtedly desires. |
 is peculiarly unfortunate that the ur- eency of their time-tab requires them to hurry through a region to which
 they might we'll give weeks of careful study And under the circumstances we think Senator Beveridge is making a mistake in devoting valuable time to looking up details which the delegate from the territory. the governor of the territory and other officers could fur nish in official documents. Witnesses picked up by chance are not nearly so likely to tell something of value as is a personal inspection of the country and its industries. However. Senator Beveridge spent but a short time in the Philippines, and he acquired an aston ishing amount of valuable information, the correctness of which has never been successfully disputed.
 But no witness can be half so elo- ouent as the scores of great mines which are steadily, year in and year out, pouring their treasures into the channels of the worlds commerce. mines, the ore bodies of which as all ready developed assure operation for to the value of more than thirty mill lions of dollars are produced by Arizona each year, and the development of the mining industry is in its infancy. Were the senators to devote month to travel through the territory. the landscape which frequently is so forbidding to the chance traveller would take on different aspect. To residents of Ari- zona the changing tints of the hills never lose their beauty, for in those hills is wealth immeasurable.
 And certainly, travel through our ir- rigated. valleys-an examination of the hundreds of miles of canals-a look at would give a more impressive idea of the future of agriculture in Arizona than would the dry testimony of host of witnesses.
 This is why our people have been hoping for years that a committee of senators and congressman would visit Arizona.
 It would take a week, at least, for the senators to gain comprehensive knowledge of the wonderful Salt River valley. To be sure, they may become convinced after a few hours investi- gation that Phoenix is in the garden spot of the world; that the capital of Arizona is in the midst of a cultivated region which already is the largest ir- rigated area in one body on earth; that when the flood waters of the Salt river are stored there will be homes in Phoenix and the surrounding valley for half million souls; but the senators must see things for themselves in order to comprehend what the future has in store for this territory, and how the things which the future holds will be brought much nearer by statehood.
 However. in the brief time which they give us, they will learn a great deal. For one thing, they will learn that the Arizona to which they have come is not the land which they had pictured from reading the Arizona and of "Alkali Ike" They will learn that the people here are fair ly well civilized.
 They will learn that the percentage of | Illiteracy in Arizona is lower than in any state of the union.
 They will learn that the residents of l Prescott. Phoenix, Tucson, Bisbee (and | any other towns that they may visit) | are fairly comfortable in evening dress.
 They will learn that in Arizona a | greater proportion of the people read | daily papers, the magazines and re- l