The copper era., 1905-12-14
The Presidential Stroke.


 Roosevelt in regard to the admission of Arizona and New Mexico as one state has not come to The Republi- can as a surprise, though there is an unreasonable bluntness in it which was not expected. The paper has long been aware that the president favored joint statehood, if indeed he was not the first to suggest it as a solution of the vexing statehood problem.
 Nearly two years ago former Dele gate Rodey, of New Mexico, made the public statement that President Roosevelt told him that he was in favor of jointure and this statement though repeatedly made was never denied by the president or.by any one qualified to speak for him. The ques- tion was brought up at a territorial convention held at Tucson for the purpose of selecting delegates to the republican national convention of 1904. Governor Brodie, member of the convention denied that those 
 were the views of the president, and he sent a telegram to him requesting him to support the denial. That telegram was never answered.
 In however high respect the presi- dent may be held, his opinions on the subject of statehood will be treated here with no respect at all, nor will his frequent advocacy of the ''square deal" so often reiterated as to have become commonplace, be understood to have any application to Arizona.
 It cannot be urged by his friends in this part of the world that his recom- mendation is the expression of an honest but mistaken opinion. The president has had the subject laid be- fore him by impartial investigators of conditions in the territory by men who had no material interest in Ari- zona, and they left him with the con- clusion that the president had been impressed with the truth of their re- ports. Besides, if this information had not been brought to him it might have been presumed that he would have sought the fullest knowledge of conditions before launching that characteristically dictatorial recom- mendation for the commission of the most fragrant political outrage ever attempted or proposed in this course
 Congress according to the terms of Of Roosevelt is relieved of the task of deliberation. "There is," says he, "no justification for further delay and the advisability of making the four territories into two states has been clearly established
 By whom, we may ask? By Bev- eridge, whose report was the most dishonestly framed document ever presented to congress. By the argu- ments of Beveridge, whose remarks on the omnibus bill and the Hamilton bill were characterized by rancor and bitterness toward the territories. All of the. many recommendations, save this one, of the presidents un- usually voluminous message, are fol- lowed by reasons more or less prolix, for their making. But no reason is assigned this one except "Nothing has taken up more time in congress during the past few years than the question as to the statehood to be granted to the four territories
 The reasoning of MT. Roosevelt is lacking in that enforced justice of the unjust judge, who righted the wrongs of the importunate widow: ''Yet because this widow troubleth me, will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me" President Roosevelt wearied by the appeal of Arizona for the rights of statehood proposes to prevent a repetition of that appeal for all time by the consignment of l the territory to perpetual servitude | and by blasting the hopes forever of l those who for a generation have l looked hopefully forward to inde- pendent statehood.
 "There are no obligations on us." | says MT. Roosevelt in regard to any claims which the rights of the terri tories may have upon the. respect of | himself and the congress. That is true, there are no binding constitu- tional obligations but there is a cer- tain morality which the president, nabitual moralizer as he is, has quite overlooked. Since his incumbenCy ne has with a frequency amounting to a habit, been engaging in duties