Williams news., 1904-01-23
ARIZONA'S CLAIMS
For Statehood Presented Before
 Committee on Territories.

hS i'iiONi iiiS 10 lioiil eiiS " 1Eii ington Post of January s:
 Mir. E. E. Ellinwood, former United States attorney for Arizona, and former Governor Murphy of that territory appeared before the house committee on territories yes terday and argued for single state hood for Arizona. Chairman Ham ilton and the members of the com mittee present interrupted with ire quent questions, and the hearing was regarded by them as one of the most interesting that has been had before the committee.
 MT. Ellinwood devoted himself almost exclusively to a discussion of the population of Arizona, with respect to numbers and character, although in conclusion he spoke of the wealth and resources of the ter ritory. The census of 1900, he said, gave Arizona a population of 123,O00, but the census was incom- plete, and in addition, the territory since then has made rapid strides, both in population and develop ment. He offered the county reg istration books to show that from 1900 to 1902, the latter the year of the most recent registration. there had been an increase of more than B per cent. in the number of vo- ters, with corresponding increase in population. He admitted that along the railroads and in the min ing camps the population was of more or less a floating character, but he pointed out that there were counties devoted entirely to agri- culture, in which the population was as stable as in any state of the union.
 MT. Ellinwood vigorously resent ed the charge that the people of Arizona were made up of the riff raff of the United States, with a ponderance of Mexicans and other foreign elements. He showed by the census figures that of the 123,OOO people in the territory, only about 40O0 were of foreign birth, while of this number there were but 700 Mexicans. He read a list of the states and gave the number of present citizens of Arizona who were born in each, and asked the members of the committee, as he came to the state of each, if they were willing to characterize the people of their own states, the sons and daughters of their neighbors and friends, as riff-raff and scum, and not fit for citizenship.
 q will venture to say" he re- marked, "that many of the people from Michigan, now in Arizona, have listened to the words of wis dom as they fell from the lips of the chairman of this committee, and have re-spoken them to their new neighbors in the western territory fitting them for the highest duties of citizenship"
 Mr. Hamilton demurred at the broad compliment of the speaker but he admitted the figures pre- sented were mighty interesting"
 MT. Powers of Maine interrupted the speaker to say that he desired to bear witness to the good charac- ter of the people of Arizona. Un- doubtedly, said Governor Powers there are hard characters about the mining camps, as there are bound to be about mining camps anywhere but he had never seen more intel ligent and enterprising people any where than he had found in mak- ing trip through the territory.
 With statehood and irrigation MT. Ellinwood argued, the future of Arizona would be of assured brightness. He did not believe however, that joint statehood with New Mexico was desirable for either of the territories. He called atten- tion to the fact that it was SOC miles from the present capital ot