Arizona republican., 1903-11-20
PHOENIX. ARIZONA. NOV 20. lsOa
The Governors Report.

CT the edSleIh PdptlS olC iiiANAhe A~0 with Goveror Brodie's annual report because of its length and presentation of geograp phical data. but the people of Arizona will never complain on that score On the contrary, they are pleas ed, and feel under obligation to Cover nor Brodie for his faithful work in the premises. It is generally recognized that a well written and comprehensive report by the governor of the territory is the best immigration document that can be compiled, and the telegraphic synopsis already received indicates that this years report is very read able volume. indeed. The regular edi- ton is printed at the expense of the government. and subsequent editions can be obtained at the actual cost of printing and binding. For these req sons. while the most valuable immi- grafton literature. it is also the cheap est. If done, privately. it would cost many thousands of dollars to write, compile. print, publish and circulate such a book. The postage alone is an important item, but the government permits the governor to send the re- port through the mails under his frank.
 The demand for these reports each year Is something extraordinary. In the first place, throughout the year the executive receives probably fifty let ters a day calling for information about Arizona. And. strange as it may seem to the eastern press, these let ters. coming from average American citizens and from all parts of the cOun- try, manifest a sad lack of information about the geography and climate of the territory as well as about its re- sources. it's people and existing condi- tions. To be sure, geographical infor- matiOn quite full in its nature is within reach of most people. but for some of it. Accordingly. when the governor comes to the writing and compiling of his annual report, he gets 1t up with a view to supplying the information
 
 be tempting to omit elementary facts and assume that readers of the report already know d great deal about Ari- Zona, but let a governor yield for. a single year to this temptation and he will get complaints by the hundred that his report is not as full as readers had hoped.
 All eastern criticism of territorial reports proceeds in fact, from the wrong point of view Tn a strict sense. the governors re- port Is made to the secretary of the interior to enable that official to report to the president the present condition of territorial affairs. and from that standpoint 1t would be neces- sary merely to compile the current statistics and report progress in devel- opment But not even the government regards the report in this light. Each year. in ordering the report. the secre- tary of the interior names the subjects which he would like to have the gov ernOr discuss. and when the report is received the government prints it in book form and distributes it to the public as long as the edition lasts. This may be the outgrowth of a custom but it is a custom which has proved immensely beneficial to the material interests of the territories. gover- nOr's report. having the seal of official l authority. Is accepted as truthful statement, whereas many facts in an ordinary immigration document would be doubted or discounted.
 And certainly. no governor gets up a | voluninous annual report out of love 1 for the work. It is by all odds the | most onerous task of the official year. | It Is necessary to write the work in | the heat of July and August While | nearly everybody else is away on | vacation the governor and his office ! force must give their attention during | the midsummer to the annual re- port. And it is not work in which | there is any intellectual stimulant and | compensation. The secretary of the | interior names each time practically | the same list of subjects that former | reports have covered. The most versa tile man in the world could say little or nothing new in writing his deduc- tions and opinions; he finds that he and his predecessors have thoroughly | covered the ground and left but little more to be said. The work, therefore, is a dreary grind from the first. But the governor knows that the expectant public is waiting eagerly for a full report" albeit most of the facts ob- tainable have been printed previously, and he dare not slight any feature. In