Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-10-20
CONGRESSMAN
ADAMS TALKS.
Answers Questions Asked By
Albuquerque Joint State.
hood leaguers.
INDEPENDENT STATES
wisconsin Statesman Believes That
New Mexico and Arizona Should
Be Admitted Separately.

Inc special train bearing the Taw.
hey congressional party on Its return
trip from Arizona was in Albuo,,ern,,o
ior an hour and half yesterday af.
ternoon, and Congressman Fl. G.
Adams, OF Wisconsin, gave out the
Following in answer to questions ask
ed by members of the joint statehood
league OF the Duke City:
Upon the question of Joint state.
mood with New Mexico, the people of
Arizona seem to be almost unit.
Ihey are not only opposed to it, but
they are very enthusiastic and de.
termined in their opposition. 1t seem.
ed to be the impression among a
large portion Of the business men
and men In political life in Arizona
that the territory would make no et-
fort at the coming session of Con-
gress to be admitted as an independ.
ent state.
Speaking only for myself, would
say that the area, the natural re-
sources, the kind of government and
civilization and people that you have
in Arizona and New Mexico will war
rant each of these territories in being
admitted into the Union as independ-
ent states, and | firmly believe that
it is only question of time when
both will be admitted. Both terri
tories are rapidly preparing them
selves for statehood by the develop
ment OF their resources, the estab.
lishment of public school systems, and
by constantly improving the admins
tration of justice. While it might be
my own opinion that these territor-
les should be admitted at this time
as independent states, it is undoubt-
edly true that 1t would be difficult at
present to convince Congress that this
should be done. We have ten men,
bers of Congress in this party, but the
membership of the House and the
United States Senate includes 476
men, the great majority of whom have
never seen this country, know very lit
tie about it, and cannot be informed
in short period by any ten men or
any fifty men.
Perhaps it would not be lecoming
for any member of this party to make
suggestions to the people OF Arizona
and New Mexico as to what their line
of action should be with reference to
statehood, but it seems to ns that if
| were resident of either territory,
the plan which would seem most reas-
enable and which / should endeavor
to pursue, would be to drop the ques-
tion of statehood for the time being,
and wait for a little broader develop
ment and a little more time to in
struct the public Judgment in order
that winning fight might he made.
"The people of these territories will
very naturally say in reply to this,
that they have waited great many
years and that they are entitled to
statehood now. The reply to this, IS,
in part, that within three years vast
areas of what is now called desert
land will become productive, and tnat
they will then have an Increase in
agricultural population, which Is al
ways the most permanent and fixed
in it's character. The members OF
this party, o. course, have On more
Of Arizona than of New Mexico, but
we have received the same favorable
impression of this Territory that we
have Of the one which has been in
vestigated more thoroughly.
II want to say furtner mat every
member Of this party feels that we
have been treated with hospitality
not only royal in its generosity, but
also very intelligent in its manifesto
tion. Nothing in the world could be
finer than the treatment which has
been accorded us by the people OF
these two territories.
$50 far as l am concerned, individ-
ually, would admit both OF these ter
ritories at once"