Bisbee daily review., 1904-05-05
DEMOCRATIC SENATORS
 FIRM
GoL. J. F. WILSON TELLS OF THE FIGHT AGAINST JOINT
 STATEHOOD.
REPUBLICAN BOSS RULE
Arixona's Delegate Says He Has the Promise of the Democratic Senators to Use Every Power at Hand to Defeat the Joint Statehood Bill.

OCtSdt tnS JOffiI StStcUCCQ ottf.
 Washington, April 29, 1904. To she Editor of the BisDee Review,
 BisDee, Arizona.
 Dear Sir:-Since the battle involv- ,Eg our statehood ambitions was be- gun, fought through to the finish, and ended with the adjournment of con- gress yesterday, feel that it is but fair to give a general statement of the whole case.
 At the opening of the first session of Congress in November, bills were introduced by Mcclure, Rodey and my self asking separate statehood for all ehe territories. Each of us demanded separate statehood as a matter of right, and insisted to the members of the House. individually and collec- lively, that jointure would be wrong and would be opposed by the people. That it would be uultra-radical, revolu- 0Onary, and uA-American. At the be- ginning there were over eighty Re publicans prepared 10 vote for our measures on these lines when they should reach the House for settlement We went before the committee on ter Eitories, which, at the beginning, an HOunced, through its chairman, that these hearings should not be political, out should be along the lines of merit The hearings were begun and con Gnued until finished. They were long and tedious, bat developed the fact that we were thoroughly prepared as a people for the maintainence of in- 4ependent state governments; that We had more people, more property, more area and were better prepared to BraiHtain a soverign state than 27 cut of the 32 states that had been Heretofore admitted into the Union. These are facts admitted b yall, denied hy none.
 When 1t was understood that unless prevented by some strong party check, the House would pass these bills, per Aaps without division, the Republican machine in the Senate and House, Headed by the president himself be- gan the work of obstruction to the pop 02r will that was demanding separ- a1e statehood for the territories. That xhaeAiRe continued its work until majority of the committee determined an the iointure policy. The committee eeld it's executive session and when ihe roll was called on the two policies, 1efntuTe and separate statehood, the ke5uA was a straight party vote, the Republicans voting for jointure and the Democrats for separate state Rood This was in February last. It Nas then understood that this policy Vas going to be forced by forced fv ha O rpln n sN debate. which was finally done. 3hs being seen I felt it my duty to hring about a conference of the Demo <1ats of the House and Senate, and tberefurs, went to John Sharpe Will jams. the minority leader of the House, and asked him to secure conference through Senator German, the minority Header of the Senate. Remember this Was in February last. Williams ad- dressed a letter to Senator German asking for this conference. The Sena- spr replied eonsenting and named the f1ps Scr the meeting in his committee E&en over the Senate chamber. The Aeering committee of the two Houses net and discussed the matter and sTey Democrat, except Senator Clark q Ark, lined uP on the policy that the Gin should be defeated in the Senate. eh that an adjournment was had to 3Aait developments. A week passed A6d if was found to have been deter Hhed by the majority of the House e6mmfttee that nothing but jointure zASid be reported; and that, unless Sdsy could obtain a caucus binding the nda6erity the bill would not be report of al h1. fie Senators and the Democratic members 0 the House met, believe March 2, Eas the date. and when all this infor- Eation was laid before the Senators, Eey then and there agreed ,an except Clark of Arkansas, that this bill Akeaid be defeated in the Senate if it came to hearing there. That it xAeald never pass that body. So thai, D was at this time that the Democrats s9 he Senate were Tined up" for the zsHeAt of the bill uniting Arizona and New Mexico into one state Since that slme I have seen personally every Dsaecratie Senator and. some Re ubiicans as well, and they have indi- Ilaally assured me from Senator Car Eack the youngest Senator to Sena- mack, the youngest Senator to Sena- sty Morgan, the oldest, that they would leave nothing undone to defeat the hi1l Not only that but I have been promised by Senators Bard, Shoot. aud others on that side that the bill Asoaid never pass. So that I say as a saet that that was the time and under those circumstances. and at the place named the Democratic senators Tined z5' for the defeat of the bill.
 Well, through the force of the presi- asRt and the party leaders on the Re psiBiican si6e of the Senate and House 4 caucus of the Republican members Has called for April 18th, to arrange sqr the forcing of the joint bill, as pre- Nzfed by the majority of the commit tee. through the House. A rule was di- rscted to be brought in with the bill f1rb.dding all amendments and allow nd ho1 hnn~p al