Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-02-02
ARIZONA LEGISLATORS.
They are Lined Up for Extended
Fight on Three Measures.
CERTAIN LAWS WILL Be OPPOSED.

The early part of the session of the
Twenty-second legislative assembly of
Arizona has not been active in actual
legislation, but has been given to the
formation of certain bills to be intro
duced later in the session, which. il
passed. will make this convention of
law makers the most notable in the
history of the territory, says a tele-
gram from Phoenix. Arizona.
Among other important measures
there will come up for consideration a
bullion tax bill. an anti-sheep bill. and
an equal suffrage bill, either one of
which will furnish sufficient ammuni-
ton to bring down the most bitter war
fare that has ever been witnessed in
Arizona Legislative channels. The
proposed tax on the bullion of estab-
lished mines will involve the most i'm
portant financial interests in the ter
ritory, but the fight between the cat
tie and sheepmen will be the most
bitter. The legislators representing
those two interests are opponents of
beligerent factions which attempt to
AC6lHlatts bul MDl1h III NDt oGtlltIlltDl
of their affairs more frequently resort
to the rifle or shotgun.
The cattlemen have some very seri-
Gus grievances against the sheepmen
and their representatives will intro
duce a bill calculated to prevent the
demolition of certain cattle ranges by
the sheep. Several counties are in
tensely interested in this legislation. 1t
IS claimed that on account of the mi
g%rations of the sheep at regular sea-
sons certain counties are cheated of a
tax on the locks.
The sheep industry has grown so
lucrative in the past few years that
some of the cattlemen have gone into
the sheep business, and If this contin-
ues the cattle and sheep interests may
grow harmonious in the natural order
of things.
A majority of cattlemen contend,
however, that they will not allow
themselves to be literally driven out
of business in a domain that is theirs,
they claim, by right of prior occupan-
cy, and the sheepmen will fight to the
last trench on the theory that between
the two industries the wool growers
will triumph under the law of the sur
vival of the fttest.
BY far the most important legisla-
ton in view is the proposed enactment
of the law creating a tax on the bullion
of the producing mines of Arizona.
Friends of this measure announce
that they have no intention of work
ing a hardship in the development and
operation of prospects and new mines,
but they cannot blind themselves to
the fact that the big mines of Arizona
are paying inadequate taxes. These
mines nave been assessed hitherto up
on the value of their improvements.
while the thousan s. of dollars annual
ly, and sometimes daily ,staken from
them, have not figured in the value OF
the property nor in the assets of the
corporation so far as the assessor is
concerned.
The governors message on this sub
ject said:
"a tax such as this. imposed upon
the output of producing mines, would
add materially to the revenue of the
territory; would greatly reduce the
rate of taxation, and would allay the
feeling of those engaged in other pur-
suits besides mining that they are
bearing more than their share of the
expense of maintaining the govern
ment under which they pursue their
different vocations in an endeavor to
better their conditions"