Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1905-03-08
A FRIEND OF ARIZONA.

W. F. P. Fogg, who is the promoter
of the Black Hills tunnel enterprise
contributed the following article on
statehood for Arizona to the New York
Tribune, which was published in that
paper few days since:
Taking notice OF the debates in con-
gress and newspaper comment respect
ing the creating of new states from
the four southwestern territories,
observe an apparent. tendency to reach
conclusions hastily and without in
formation or upon misinformation.
The foregoing is particularly true
with reference to Arizona and New
Mexico. No intelligent person can
visit these two territories and become
familiar with conditions in each and
fail fully to appreciate their widely
divergent interests and lines of pre-
sent and future development. There
is no community of interest between
the two territories; there is no SINH
larilty of population or of natural re-
sources; there is scarcely a common
history. a large proportion of the in
habitants of Arizona were born in the
middle west or east; they have taken
to this territory eastern ideas and ag-
gressiveness in business and affairs /;
they have built up the territory won
derfully in the past decade; they have
constructed railroads, developed
mines, reclaimed arid areas and
built towns. To the eastern visitor
Arizona no longer presents the aspect
of series of frontier settlements; the
towns and cities are substantially
built and are we'll governed; there is
less of IawlessDess in Arizona for the
population than in New York or Chi
cago; the public school system is thor
oughly we'll organized and efficient ;
in the cities and large towns the
school buildings compare favorably
with those of more populous and
wealthier communities in the east.
The church going population repre-
sents larger proportion of the entire
community than does the average
through the country. The bench and
bar of the territory compare favorably
with those of the states. The popula
ton is homogeneous, law abiding, en-
ergetic and progressive, and along
hot 10 ho fri ~ nd
expansion of distinctively American
institutions. The Anglo-SaXon type
of civilization predominates in Arizo-
ma and the Latin-Indian type has left
little impress on the general character,
speech and morals of the inhabitants.
l am largely interested in the bust
ness future of Arizona territory, and
have a general acquaintance among
its representative citizens. 1 was five
months of the first half of last year in
the southwest, and know of my own
knowledge that statehood combined
with New Mexico is not only distaste-
full to the people of Arizona but sim
cerely believe it would be disastrous
to their most important business IN
terests; those people would rather re-
main as they are with a territorial
form of government than be yoked up
with the i'll assorted population of
New Mexico.
Arizona has area, population and
resources sufficient to justify indie
pendent statehood and resultant self
government. There lie no danger of
making another Nevada mistake in
admitting Arizona as a state; the con-
ditions are totally different. Arizona
has a soil as fertile as that of the val
ley of the Nile. All its vast plains
need is moisture to make them bios
som as gardens; the reclamation pro-
jects that are under way or in con-
temptation Will, when carried out,
make productive many hundreds of
thousands of acres now idle, and withs
out present income value. The min
eraI resources of the territory are
greater than any like area on the con-
tinent, and tremendous strides are be-
ing made toward their more complete
development. The railroad lines are
being extended; the persistent trolley
has found its way to the cities, and,
as in the east, is contributing to ex-
tend their boundaries. The industries
of the territory are becoming more
varied, and are being permanently es
tablished; its future prosperity is not
dependent upon any single line of