Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-02-23
No Disposition Among Republicans in Congress
to Force State Government on Arizona
TERRITORY BELONGS IN BACK ZONE ANYWAY
Washington Correspondent Quotes Belief in Washington that
New State Would Re Democratic

Arizona and New Mexico Cannot Agree
The Arizona and New Mexico people
cannot get together The tail wants
to wag the dog, and the dog thus far
has refused to agree to the proposi.
tion. The Arizona people fully nn-
derstand II the two territories are
united to form single state New
Mexico will control everything. elect
two senators, fix the capital At SAM
Ia Fe, and leave the whole Of Arizona
In the bacy country class, where. to
tell the truth, It really belongs.
There is no disposition Id the house
to force statehood upon the people OF
Arizona, but the republican leaders
are firmly agreed not to make the mis-
take of admitting the two southwest
ern territories which are still only
sparsely settled, as two separate
states. Aside from the political as
poets Of the case, there is great doubt
whether Arizona has qualifications
which would tend toward an incrcas-
Ing population.
Nevada is an Awful Example.
Nevada Is an awful example, which
is preventing the admission Of Ari-
zona and New Mexico as separate
sovereign states. Back In 1860 there
was a mining faction which the CEN
sus officers figured out at onetenth
of human being for each square
mile. Now. twenty years later, so far
as the averages so, the census taker
has TO roam over q square mile Of Me-
vada to fnd four-tenths Of name
with which to All up q single blank.
Nevada has O territorial area OF
f10.700 square miles. but its popula-
tion in 1900 was only 1885. Yet Ne
vada has two senator's and member
of the house. Its three electoral votes
are equal to those Of Florida, Idaho,
Montana. Utah or wyoming. each Of
which has vastly greater popula-
tion.
Nevada Mistake 10 Be Avoided.
II ID TO avoid q repetition To the Ne
vada mistake that the congressional
leaders are determined not to separate
Arizona and New Mexico In Arizona
today there is only IL Of person to
a square mile and In New Mexico there
can be found only slightly greater
proportion to 16 Of an inhabitant to
every square mile Of country.
When the two territories are put
together their joint area would be
235.600 square miles with their pop
ulatlon of only 1921 With Ave times
the area Of the joint state of Oklaho-
ma they would still have less than
half Of the population. with prospects
for the future infinitely less encourag-
ing.
On this basis. however, II is felt that
the southwest state would be fairly en-
titled TO two senator's and two repre-
sentatiyes. They would be democrat
ic, but the republicans would concede
this addition through the two new
states of ten electoral yotes to the
democrats. Otherwise, at some time
IN the future, when the democrats
would control congress and the pres
ldent, they might go back to the orig
inal proposition Of four states and thus
double their representation in the SEN
ate as well as increase Il largely in
the electoral college.
-
Mr.. and Mrs. Jose ID. sena Of Santa
Fe Sunday celebrated the tenth ami
varoarv ~ thair xyoddtna In = x..,tot