Arizona republican., 1903-03-13
The Truth About the .F1fty-seventh
 Congress,

The Literary. Digest has requested the opinion of The Republican on the failure of the Fifty-seventh Congress to pass the statehood bill. We comply with pleasure.
 The failure of the Fifty-seventh Con- gress to pass the omnibus statehood bill was crime against the people of the three territories. It was another temporary triumph of New England proyincialism. Retreating step by step, but always fighting. New England from the beginning of the government has opposed every movement that rep resented Americanism. Had New Eng land controlled the policies of the gov ernment, there would have been no states added to the original thirteen. If Jefferson had listened to the states men of New England, the Louisiana Purchase would not have been consum- mated in 1903, or at any other time. Had New England policies prevailed. the United States would have consent
 
 land. and there would have been no War of 1912. New England grew vir- tuous after she became rich from the slave trade, but she has never acquired sufficient wisdom to comprehend the American spirit, or to understand the magnitude of this country. Had New England statesmanship been dominant. there would have been no homestead be wilderness. Had the New Eng land doctrines been accepted. Califor- Tlia would have been left in the hands of Mexico. With barely enough excep- tions to prove the rule. the senators and congressmen from New England are always found on the negative of every proposition for the upbuilding of the west.
 The eastern ,proyincialism and self ishness of which New England is the chief exponent, achieved victory in the Fifty-seyenth Congress. and not withstanding the overwhelming vote  sentatives, and notwithstanding the protests of the valiant band of republi- can senators who followed the leader ship. of Senator Quay. the republican ating its solemn declarations. But. as always in the past New England will have to yield in this contest, because she stands opposed to liberty and jus tice..
 The methods by which the omnibus bill was beaten were dishonorable. The people of the territories were slander- ed. In speech after speech they were classed as ignorant. as repudiators. and as polyEarnists. The credit of the terri tories was attacked. their resources niisrepresented and ridiculed, and cap ital twas told, in effect. to stay away all to justify stubborn denial of the right of self government and the right to prosper under the same conditions under which Americans fin the states are. prospering.
 All eAdItliudtlOl OL tie SOiIS4 cSSioAie1i Record for the session discloses that the arguments against the admission of Arizona finally centered upon these two contentious: First. that the Mormons they would control the state. and that they are polygamists. Second. that the people of: the territory generally are go illlterate that they are not entitled This in face of the facts. -.-
 On the Mormon question, the speech makers stood fupon the records of fifteen years ago. Today the Mornons are the population that they could control nothing if they tried. and not one of them Is a polygamist. Moreover, the Mormons are divided politically as much as any other church. and without exception they are all good citizens.
 Senators insisted In their speeches that the illiterate people in Arizona comprised from thirty per cent. to forty per cent of the total population-no two opponents of the omnibus bill ap- peared able to agree upon the exact percentage. And yet, the government publication entitled Abstract of the Twelfth Census, shows. on page 19, that of the 11.215 illiterates in the ter ritory in 1900, 5.94S were INDIANS. 371 weretCHINAMEN, 120 were NEGROES, and 3.759 were classed as FOREIGN. or the NATIVE AMERICAN popula- ton. there were but 1,011 illiterates. or LESS THAN ONE PER CENT. of the total populations lower percentage of illiteracy than in any state of the union. And counting Indians and Chinamen,