The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-13
LET OKLAHOMA IN
Such Is Likely to Be the Decision of
Congress at the Coming
/ Session.
Arizona and New Mexico, However
Are Not Standing in as Good
a Light. &

.s,si1siin0. Wasainato':. = :" ; -" = - I.
Washington, Nov. 13.-The people of
Arizona are fearful that their desire for
statehood will not be granted. Govern
ment officials who have recently visited
the territory report that it is steadily los
ing population. The residents admit this
to be the case, but are very anxious to
withhold the facts from congress-. Sew
eral years ago, when irrigation was first
discussed in a practical manner, large
number of people went to Arizona to take
up land claims expecting that irrigation
works would speedily. be erected by pri-
vate capital. Their hopes were never re-
allied, however, and just as they were be-
ginning to get ready to pull up stakes and
go away, the subject Of government devel-
opment of the Irrigation project was
brought up Now that the government bill
has become a law, the people of Arizona
see that many years will elapse before any
comprehensive system of bitches can be
built in their locality. The work will pro-
coed slowly and nethodically, the entire
seniarid region to be treated as impair
TALLY as possible. No one section is to be
developed at the expense of other sections.
That means that Arizona settlers who
have been expecting immediate relief from
| the government law are again disappoint-
| ed. They do not feel like waiting for an
other long term Of years, and consequently
are preparing to move back to civilization
Already considerable number have gone
and others will go during the winter. It
! has been estimated that the territory will
probably lose 900 Inhabitants from this
cause, the majority of them men,
| Such condition of affairs is not prom
| Using for statehood, and the leading resi-
dents of Arizona admit that they are up
against a tough proposition. When the
situation in the territory is reinforced by
the strong opposition of prominent sena-
| tors to the admission of any more pocket
| boroughs like Nevada, the chances for the
| passage through the senate of the bill
which passed the house last session, are
not first class. New Mexico will probably
share the same fate as Arizona. Okla
homa, however, will be admitted if her
| people consent to cut loose from these
other territories. Oklahoma on the basis
of the 1900 census, now more than two
years old, has enough population to en-
title it to four members of congress.
Since June, 1902, enough people have gone
into the territory to entitle it to five
| congressman. It's: admission is not in
doubt, should it be willing to drop Arizona
| and New Mexico and stand on it's own
merits.
The claim of Senator Fred Dubois of
Idaho that the mountain and far west
states went republican this month be-
| cause of the passage of the irrigation bill.
| does not seem to fit in the case Of Arizona,
which went democratic by an increased
ma jority, in the face of the fact that
| such a vote would initiate against it's
| chances for statehood And If irrigation
| cut no figure in Arizona, whose people
had everything to gain and nothing to
| lose by standing this year with the re-
publican party, how can the Idaho sena-
tor claim that it cut SO much figure in
other sections of the far west, where the
| local interests did not have as much at
stake in the result as they had in
| Arizona? ''a '' --i
W. w. Jermane.