Arizona republican., 1905-12-30
HOW THE TERRITORY
 MAY BE PROTECTED
Without Being Put Under the Wing of
 New Mexico.

The United States Investor, a jour nal of Boston, New York, and Wash ington, from the beginning of the joint statehood fight, has been on the side of justice and Arizona. The current issue has a strong article on the sub- ject in which attention is given to the duties and powers of congress. The Investor says:
 "It is gratifying to learn from Wash ington that notwithstanding the an- lnouncement of Senator Beveridge dur ing the first week of the session of congress, the wrong which he and his associates propose to inflict upon the people of Arizona is likely to meet with defeat. The case was presented at some length in previous issue of the Investor and we need only add that if it were not certain that Arizona would choose two democratic senators if admitted alone, the proposition to join it to New Mexico would have little standing in congress. The pop ulation of this territory is to be ridden over roughshod simply to serve q temporary political exigency, of which the authors will be ashamed in a few years.
 'We say that the project is likely to
 
 senate Mr. Foraker has proposed an lamendment to the pending bill, which provides, as a condition to its becom- ing effective, that the people of both Arizona and New Mexico. voting sep arately, shall by majority vote ac- cept joint statehood. Nothing could be more fair; if the people are largely opposed, as we are certain they are, ha consummated. Naturally MT. Bever- idge declines to accept the amend ment; in his political scheme no room is left for the consideration of the rights of the people; to let them vote upon it would, as he we'll knows, de- feat his project. Inasmuch as MT. Foraker is likely to have quite a num- Der of adherents in the senate, even if a majority is not in harmony with his amendment, the bill can readily be talked to death, if necessary, and no utilization of the senate rules in this manner has never been made in a better cause than this would be.
 But it may not be necessary to use such drastic measures to protect these people; in the house, Representative Tawney, of Minnesota, who is chair
  tions and has been the party whip for a number of years, has turned up with a following of about sixty-five republicans in determined opposition to the proposed bill unless accompa- nied by an amendment which recog- nizes the right of the people, and since the democratic representatives are solidly opposed to the force law which bears the Beveridge label, the prospect is that the house will defeat the bill by a decisive majority. Mr. Tawney rarely takes the attitude of an "insurgent" on a supposed party measure without having his reasons absolutely sound and his position strong; thus he becomes an energetic fighter for principles as he sees them, and the Beveridge faction is hence finding its way very thorny.
 Tt has developed that advocates of the bill now argue that the territorial government is weak; that certain cor porations are favored in the mat ter of taxation; that these cor porations, in fact, dominate to such degree that the tax burden is very unequal. It seems absurd that such an argument should be put forward se- riously as a logical defense of the joint statehood bill; if such evils exist, is there any guarantee, or even likeh- hood that the Beveridge plan of mak- ing the two territories one state will correct them? Is it not, on the con- trary much more probable that in equalities of this character can be dealt with far mort practically under existing conditions? Congress has plenary power over territories; the system of government is subject to it's will and the laws passed by terri torial legislatures may be revised by it. If, as it is alleged, there is an op- pressive system of taxation in Arizona it is obviously due to the fact that the committees on the territories in the two houses of congress have failed to direct attention thereto; have in fact been negligent; and rather than cor rect the alleged evil they would doubly punish the inhabitants of the terri tory. It is not to be lost sight of that these people are not now clamorous for even separate statehood; they are content to wait many years rather than be joined with the alien popula- tion of New Mexico, meanwhile rais- ing no objection to the gift of state hood to the latter. The question is to them as important as was that of in dependence of British rule to the men of 1776; shall the political schemers in Washington be permitted to ignore rights?'