New-York tribune., 1902-03-20
REASONS FOR STATEHOOD.
-,-11y OKLAHOMA. ARIZONA AND NEW
vrvICO SHOULD BE IN THE UNION.

an, asked to write q short article
bfac+ that IS OF more importance to the
-. older Territories than anything else at the
-.sent time I am thankful for th" 'pportu-
,,.. and hasten 10 comply. !. Of course. know
80 about the great Territory Of New-MeXico,
-. have the honor to represent as Delegate
- ,be present Congress. and will therefore speak
-, particularly Of it, hnt as ] listened 20 the
ro.-i-r made before the Committee on Terri
&c lax both Oklahoma and Arizona. I can say
g. ,ben7 without fear Of contradiction:
r;rst-T That Okla homa proved before the COM
..,ee that she has every qualification enutling
~ neoplo 10 . state form Of government. She
Ls 2 half million Of intelligent. energetic and
,,ernrisng citizens Of the United states WITHIN
..r borders She raises and exports more live
s,ock and farm products than any other equal
,rsa of the United States. She has as fine
e,.ss and towns within her borders, and as
-ood system of public schools, as can be
.,,nd in many Of the states. Her revenues are
,oore than ample TO support state form Of
soyernment and still have taxes at very low
rate It Is the desire Of her people to come
into the Union. 40 other qualification Is nee
sssary or ought to he required
Second-I can say that Arizona has an area
-sarly As large as all Of New England and New
York combined She has about one hundred
snd seveutv-tive thousand citizens Of the United
states living within her borders. and they are
the kind that go TO make the best citizens, for
they aro nearly all live. energetic people from
the states. She has not less than $2oNooo"oo
worth Of property tax for the support OF a
state government: she has the richest mines
m earth within her borders. and development IN
that line can hardly he said to have begun. 80
..st * her area Her people desire admission 10
.be Union. and. possessing all other quahh'a-
.;o,s nothing else ought to nc required of her
~ Mexico proved before the Committee on
Territories that she contains a population OF
M, less than three hundred and thirty 'ho"-
- American citizens more than three-quar-
,.-s of -,honl speak. read and write the EnSIlsh
,.,,,are and more than three-hfths Of whom
-. ~. hest people from the States. 1t further
,r,.ed that the citizens of the United states
it,r, uftbin its borders Of Spanish or Mexican
s..,+ were he best kind OF people and fully
,o,,a1 in all respects to the best clilzehS o'
the Tinted States anywhere in III" Union. II
,,-tber proved that the Territory possessed
tsvabe property Of the value of M'toot""po
and that its debt being comparatively small
Il would when admitted to the Union, De 'he
lowest taxed community IN the nation. II iur-
ther proved that at the present time II Is max
ing mare rapid progress than any other part
n the nation The committee expressed utter
sstopiel7r1ent at the showing which 4 made.
niaht here state some Of the facts presented
by New Mexico Its area is about equal To that
Of the State Of New-York and all the States of
Neu-F1ngland and the State Of New-Jersey com
bined Ii IS first in the nation in the number OF
sheep il possesses and raises. and in the number
If ROUNDS If wool it produces annually. 1t Is
second IN the nation a cattle grower. II Is
FIST in the nation in the amount Of money 1t
has invested in public buildings per capita. 1t
Is frst in the nation in the non-sectarian public
lT,IT9
and in the money invested in them, and it Is
srs, y, the nation in the amount Of money per
-arlta that it spends annually in the education
r., ;t- children Il is first in the nation in the
-7f,r,ler of newspapers per capita that are
rl,r'iehed within its borders. and. although
there were no statistics upon the subject I
niI -sature "a say. from my personal knOwl-
edee tact il is first in the nation per capita
n tho amount Of money spent for the purchase
II -cvsrapers. magazines and other periodical
literature.
The Territory of New-Noxco has been under
hat forr, of government ever since 1880. and
has Icou q part Of the pubic domain Of the
United states for fftv-fve years. Its people
nave forgotten all other forms of government,
almost. 20 long have they been in this condi-
ton or tutcIarC. Thcy have a right. under the
treaty of Guadalupe HGalSo. to be admitted
irto this Union. They have the same right un-
der the Declaration Of Independence and the
Constitution of the United States. and both
ro1itica7 parties have promised il to them in
their platforms repeatedly. They possess every
qualification that can possibly hc required, and
more: and even II political one is required by
the Jarty IN power. they possess that also.
Then ryhy should they longer bc kept out Of the
Cniono The area OF country that forms CalIfor-
MA part Of Nevada. ali Of Utah and part Of Col
o-a6o ,sac ar0lIircd from Mexico the same
tine as the area now embraced in New-MeXco
and Arizona. This government promised the peo-
pie of New-Mexico that they would be admitteG1
into the Union In a reasonable time and that
promise was put in the treaty By which the
isnd ,yas acquired from Mexico In lSlS.
So solemn was that promise, and so binding
we're its terms that California two years after
the date # the trcaty-in 1SjO-without that
State ever having passed through the inter
mediate form OF Territorial government, was
admitted into the Union. New-Mexico at the
same time-and she was then mucn better fit'
ted 10 be admitted than California-or nized
q State form Of government. elected a Repre-
sentative and two United States Senators and
sent them on TO Washington TO knock at the
doors Of Congress for admission TO the Union.
That was ten years before the Civil War. but
she was excluded and her Senators sent home
because as it is said. she had an ant-slaVery
Prohibition in her constitution. Such is the irony
Of fate
The Territory made another desperate effort
to come into the Union in 1874. when the pres
snt Senator Elkirs was her Delegate: she had
MADE two three minor efforts in the mean
time but failed. Delegate Elkins secured the
passage OF the bill for the Territory's admis-
sion IN both houses Of Congress and many Of