Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1903-10-07
ABOUT STATEHOOD.

Because the Journal Miner express ed its honest opinion that statehood would not be obtained at the ap preaching session of congress, the Phenix Enterprise jumps on it with both feet, in a double leaded editorial two columns in width and over half the Journal Miner expressed candid and unbiased opinion of the probable result of statehood, an opinion which is shared by Mark Smith, Col. Wilson and in fact by every man who has kept posted on tie subject, the En- terprise says:
 'There are republican papers m Arizona that are honestly for state hood. It is evident that the Journal Miner is not of them '
 Should this paper express an opinion that war is liable to occur in the Bal kans, judging from the trend of events there, according to Enterprise logic it would be accused of boosting for a war.
 In a roundabout way the Enterprise itself admits that there is no hope for statehood, but insists that no one should be honest enough to say so. This is wherein the Journal Miner committed its heinous offense in the ! aras of fha Enfarprica
 Were the Journal Miner to state an- other fact, viz. that there are great many people in the territory who are absolutely indifferent to statehood, under existing conditions, of a heavy debt and confiscatory tax rate, the Enterprise would probably use three columns in width to denOunce it. In order not to strain the editorial capacity of that paper to an unusual degree we will refrain from such mention.
 That the Journal Miner should Ire fer in light vein to the successive campaigns the democrats have made in this territory on the vital issue of statehood'' seems to be surprising, as we'll as painful to its Phenix contem- porary. Why should it not be refer red to in light vein? Campaign after campaign the democrats nave reiter- ated their promise of statehood, have gulled voters into believing it when they knew that they did not have the power to make good the promise.
 After each succeeding failure the appeal would be made again "just this once, vote the democratic ticket and we will secure statehood. Last year it was positively promised and yet the party press and party orators knew full we'll that there were not enough democratic votes to make the promise good. They based their promise on the hope that enough re- publican votes would be secured to enable them to make good the prom ise. They knew full we'll also at the same time that if the territory elected l d GtDuUllCdu ucltSdlt int ueluONIdliC support in congress wouIo ], be with drawn from it.
 There is no use in mincing words ou this question. The admission of ter ritories today is as much a political question as it was a half a century ago, and no amount of palaver will change it.
 The Enterprise editor knows this in his own heart despite his grand stand play in double column type. He does not fool any one, except the most ignorant by concealing the real truth, and by putting on a mask to hide his real opinion on the question, so far as condition of facts are con- cerned.
 He knows that there is absolutely no hopes for statehood at the coming session of congress, so far as can be jugded from present indications. Whether work may change present conditions and indications remains for the future to determine.