Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-02-11
Able Writer Takes Exception
To Views Expressed By
Governor Otero
WITNESS. QUESTION
Belief Expressed That Oppose.
tion to joint statehood Is Con-
fined to Those S~cIfishly
Interested

The interview of Governor Otero. ne.
produced in the, Morning Journal, as
an argument against joint-statehood
for New Mexico and Arizona, is a Gu
riosity in its way. 1t contains some
assertions which should not go un-
challenged. 1t does not contain one
single valid objection to joint state
hood. What The Citizen and other
newspapers have said about the ac-
ton of.the republican central commit
tee need not be repeated. 1t certain
~ Is unprecedented for a party COM
mittee to anticipate the action OF the
convention called to meet and adopt
any part Of the platform in advance
Of the convention. II would have been
just as regular to have passed a reso-
luton in favor OF certain delegates TO
go to the convention, or to have de-
clared in favor of a certain candidate
for delegate at the next election.
But it is to this interview of the
governors we wish to call attention.
The utterances of many of the in
cumbents of federal offices in New
Mexico and Arizona arouses a stis-
picion that the proposition to join the
two territories and make one state out
of them, is welcomed by them. It
gives al opportunity TO enthusiastical-
II shout for statehood, and at the
same time oppose the only PROPOSE
ton which can bring il about. a great
many people have received the de-
clarations of this class Of politicians
in favor of single statehood, for New
Mexico and Arizona with many mis-
givings. One thing is undoubtedly
true. The two machines now in full
operation, one in New Mexico and the
other in Arizona. would be compare
lively useless il the two territories
are admitted as one state. 1t has
taken much time and scheming TO put
these two machines in their present
state of efficiency, and it would be too
bad to force the .automobilists' to
discard them, almost on the v of the
race, and compel them to take all the
chances of constructing in a short
time a new one-a new one, too, which
in the necessity Of things can only &C
commodate half the passengers who
expect to ride.
The real objection, which is never
expressed, IL such statehood aivo-
Gates are in favor of statehood at all,
is that uniting the two territories as
one state reduces the number OF
places one half. To stand any chance
at all requires the present incnmbents
who would aspire to place under
statehood. to forgo all the advantages
of the present machine and to trilst
to luck with q new one organized on
the spun of the moment, so speak.
Leaving ont of consideration the
question or time, 1t Is quite a differ
ent thing to organize a machine for
New Mexico or Arizona alone, and TO
organize a machine for both united
ami right here is one OF the great ad-
vantages to the people Of the two ter
ritories in having them admitted as
one state. The safest course Of these
incumbents and Others running with
the machine. Is 10 leave well enough
alone, and not have statehood at all.
The governor frankly says; y, myself,
prefer The territorial fora OF govern
ment to statehood with Arizona, H.
sets no limit 10 the time he would SO
prefer a territorial government Would
he indulge this preference II. BY
chance, a democrat was elected presi
dent. and there was a change in the
%goyernorship OF New Mexico? The
governor says: The interest Of the
two territories are not in common In
what do they differ? He has not point
"a out any conflict. Both are arid. and
their future Is bound up in irrigation
and mining Arizona has rich cop.
per mines. New Mexico an abundance
Of coke producing coal. iron ore and
other things needed by Arizona. What
would foster them In the other? The
same thing Is true Of the sheep and
cattle interests Of the two territories
Albuquerque Citizen.