The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1905-01-28
THE TATEHoo BILL.


Yesterdays dispatches from Wash
ington indicate that ~ agreement
has practically been arrived at which
will permit of q vote on the state
hood bill on Saturday. February 4th,
one week from today. The dispatches
further stated that the opponents of
tatehoo had given their onsen to
a vote being taken on that date.
All of this makes good reading to
people who really desire statehood
for New Mexico. OF course. there are
certain people. particularly in the
neighborhood of Santa Fe. who will
receive this news with dread and dis
may. They do not want the bill TO
pass. for in their hearts they know
that if the bill aver gets to the peo-
pie it will be ratified. and New Mexi-
60 will become a state with Arizona.
Much has been written in The ad-
ministration organs If the attempt
to force" Arizona and New Mexico
into joint statehood This is all bosh,
and no one knows il better than these
very people. There is not the least
semblance of a force bill about the
present %ateho bill. The final de-
cision in the matter is left to the
voters in the two territories to decide.
Should they ote against joint state
hood, it will be dead. probably never
to be revived. n all hope of receiv-
ing statehood in any shape or form
will be gone with it. Should the vot-
ers accept the bill, two new states
will enter the union. one of which will
be formed in part by New Mexico,
and the statehood problem will be
settled.
There are two amendments to the
bill which will receive consideration
before the final vote ON the bill is
taken The first of these is the pro-
position to admit the territories as
states as they now stand. This pro-
position has not the slightest chance
of passing and need not be consider
ed. The second amendment is the
proposition to eliminate Arizona and
Indian Territory from the bill admit
ting New Mexico and Oklahoma as
TR-~- IT,
tina this may receive some consider
alton. but it is a very ain hope.
With these two amendments out
of the way, then will come the vote
on the bill, and 1t is on this tote that
the final result depends. should the
decision be favorable. the entire mat
ter will the be passed up to The peo-
pie of the territories to accept or re-
ject. From his it is seen how i'm
portant his vote is to the people of
the territories. Every effort is be-
ing made by the opponents of the bill
to delude congress into the belief
that the people are opposed to the
bill. Congress is being delIged by
kilograms from oficeholders in the
territories. The legislatures of Ari-
IONA and New Mexico nave been
coerced into passing resolutions ex-
pressing opposition TO the bill. These
will. YER probably. ave some effect
at Washington.
The proposition then is. shall o
gress be left under the impression
that the people of the territories do
not want statehood according to the
present bill? The Record believes
that this will be a great mistake,
and that some great effort should be
made and at once to place the real
situation before congress. The best
way. 1t seems. to do this. rs to simply
flood the senate with kilograms and
letters with as a signatures as
possibly can be secured There re
mains but one week In which TO do
this, and II done at all it must be done
mt once. Who viii do 1T