Arizona republican., 1904-12-17
The Senate Amendments.

By making some amendments to the joint statehood bill the senate commit tee on territories made the bill itself more accepta ble, but that action will not diminish Arizona opposition to the general scheme.
 needed, and all reference to sex in the suffrage was stricken out.
 An important amendment is that re- quiring that all the state officers shall be able to speak. read and write the English language. The bill should go further, however. It should require the insertion of an educational quail fcation for votes in the constitution of the proposed state. The suffrage should be restricted to citizens who are able to read and write English. Un der the terms of the treaty of Guada- loupe Hidalgo all Mexicans inhabiting the territory annexed acquired the rights of citizenship, but the men who became citizens by virtue of that treaty are few as well as old in years, and the constitution could easily make an. exception of them.
 An amendment of great moment is the remarkably large appropriation for public schools. Under the terms of the bill as amended, the government or the United States is to grant the sum of five million dollars for school purposes. The section thus added to the bill reads:
 There is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the treasury not oth- erwise appropriated the sum of five million dollars for the use and bene- fit of the common schools of said state. Said appropriation shall be paid by tke treasurer of the United States at such time and to such person or persons as may be authorized by said state to receive the same under the laws to be enacted by said state, and until aid state shall enact such laws said appro- priation shall not be paid, hut said state shall be allowed interest thereon at the rate of three per centum per an- mum, which shall be paid to said state for the use and benefit of its public schools. Said appropriation of five mil lien dollars shall be held and invested by said state, in trust, for the use and benefit of said schools, and the interest thereon shall be paid quarterly and used exclusively in the support and maintenance of said schools
 Five million dollars could be invested at 1 per cent. and the annual returns would be $2OO,OOO-a very snug sum for the schools.
 Another amendment gives Arizona larger representation in the constitu- tional convention. Under the provisions of the house bill, New Mexico was to have 70 delegates and Arizona 40. The figures have been changed to 66 and A. respectively, but the apportionment is still unjust New Mexico should have no advantage in the constitutional con vention by reason of her larger popuIa- tion. Should the bill pass, the great question before the people woud affect one territory quite as vitally as the ether. The territory of Arizona should be placed on an absolute equality with the territory of New Mexico. Each should have the same number of dele gates.
 The amendment most needed of all has been left out by the senate com mittee. The bill should enable the two territories to vote separately on the question of ratifying or rejecting the constitution, and should provide that if either territory failed to give a ma jority in favor of the proposed con- stitution it would be defeated notwith- standing that it might get a majority of all the votes cast in the two ter ritories.
 It is quite. certain that this amend ment will be offered on the floor of the senate before the bill reaches a vote, and Arizona should insist upon having the undivided power to reject joint statehood at the polls.