Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1904-01-09
STATEHOOD
MEASURES
They Are Attracting Much Atten-
tion Throughout the Country
and in Washington.
NEW MEXICO HEARING
A Favorable Report Expected by House
Committee on Territories as to
Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Statehood is very live topic no
only in New Mexico but in Washing
ton, as well. In addition, the eastern
papers give considerable space t.
statehood arguments and discussion
The latest dispatch from Washington
upon the subject has very optimisti
tone and reads:
Delegate Rodey has finished. telling
the House committee on territorie
about the wonders of the common
wealth south of Colorado that he rep
resents in Congress, and a favorable
report on the New Mexico statehood
bill is expected shortly. Delegate Will
sons bill for the admission of Arizona
will be taken up by the committee a
once and will be reported also. There
are two other statehood bills. One ad
mits Oklahoma and another insists
that Oklahoma and Indian Territory
shall come into the sisterhood Of
states together. With these four bills
to come up for consideration there is
little danger of there being deartt
of statehood talk from now until ad
journment Of Congress. On many sides
it is prophesied that something is go
ing to be done and that flag manufac
turers might as we'll provide a few
more stars for the national banners
they turn out in the future.
"The likelihood of Oklahoma's be.
coming a state seems practically as.
sured, if expressions made by admins
tration Senators in the statehood de-
bate in the Senate last spring count
for anything AS to New Mexico and
Arizona. the House will pass the mat
ter up to the Senate and in that body
Senator M. S. Quay as usual stands
ready to chuck both bills through if
he can.
Quay does not waste words discuss
ing prospects. To the anxious dele
gates from New Mexico and Arizona he
simply says: Get those bills through
the House and bring them to me- To
just what limits he is prepared to go
in behalf of the measures this session
only Quay himself knows.
Last year the bills for New Mexi-
co, Arizona and Oklahoma were omni-
bused, and Quay went to the extent OF
holding up all other legislation in the
Senate for weeks while insisting that
the omnibus bill should pass. 1t is be-
lieved that Quay can count safe ma
jority for at least the New Mexico and
Oklahoma bill this session and it is
not impossible for him to WELD it as
a club against the administration this
year as he did last, provided the Sen
ate territories committee can again be
forced into reporting the bills.
"Of course it will be the Panama
treaty that will suffer in case Quay
decides to adopt this course and is sue
oessful with it. 1t would not be the
oldest thing in the world II Quay
should happen to hold under his con-
troll the necessary votes for passing
the treaty. All the Democrats and
several Republicans favor statehood
for New Mexico, Arizona and Okla
homa. If just small handful of these
hold out and insist on seeing political
pledges at home fulfilled before giving
attention to those abroad the admins
tration may be glad to come to time
on what should have been done last
Congress, II pledges in both the Re-
publican and Democratic platforms
mean what they said.
If Quay should be forced to accept
compromise it will result in admitting
Arizona and New Mexico together as
one state and also probable coalition
of Indian Territory and Oklahoma with
provisos that they shall be disjoined
as states when they attain pre-
scribed population. The territories are
strenuous attempts to be ad-
mitted as separate states, but it is be-
lieved they will not refuse to accept
the two-state plan, much as they dis
like it. provided single statehood is
denied them.
Friends of statehood are much dis
appointed at President Roosevelt's
failure to mention their cause in his
last message, but they insist that he
stands ready to aid them at the cru
ciaI moment and would boldly an.
nounce his stand were it not for influ-
entail Senators who have his ear. Sen
ator Quay has recently had a confer
ence with the President in regard to |
statehood, but has not taken the state
hood advocates into his confidence in !
regard to it.
"The territories committee of the
Senate remains practically the same
as it was in the Fifty-seventh Con-
gress. There have been no Republi-
can changes and only one change on
the Democratic side-Clarke of Ar
kansas. taking the place of Heitford,
retired. Thus, although there are rum
DIS that Chairman Beveridge and some
Of his associates appear to be letting
M somewhat in their antagonism to
Continued on Page Eight.