The copper era., 1905-12-21
HOUSING MASS MEETING.
Citizens of Clifton Protest Earnestly
 Against J0inture.

by all classes of people, and included republicans, democrats and socialists.
 Hon. Lamar Cobb, a member of the legislature, was chosen chairman, and M. D. Latin, editor of the Clifton Herald, was elected secretary. MT. Cobb stated the ob- ject of the meeting, after which Hon. Ben M. Crawford, J. R. Hamp- ton and Dan Lynch were appointed a committee on resolutions.
 The secretary was instructed to forward copies of the resolutions to Hon. J. A. Tawney, Hon. J. B. For aker, Frank M. Murphy, Hon. Mark Smith, Hon. A. O. Bacon, Hon. Rus sell A. Algier, Hon. Frank P. Flint, Hon. Speaker Cannon, Vice-Presi- dent Fairbanks and ex-Governor Murphy.
 The committee on resolutions then reported as follows:
 RESOLUTIONS.
 We the citizens of Clifton and vicinity, representing every political faith, in convention assembled, do hereby declare.
 WHEREAS, We have every reason to fear that the present session of congress will attempt to enact a law admitting into the Union jointly as one state the Territories of Arizona and New Mexico, and having met in mass meeting to give an expression of the views of the citizens of Cliff ton and vicinity.
 RESOLVED, That the people of Clifton, are unalterably opposed to the union of Arizona and New Mex ico.
 AND, on their behalf, we do earn estly protest against the enactment of the proposed measure by the con- gress of the United States, or any measure which has for it's purpose the admission of Arizona into the Union as a part of any other state or Territory.
 AND, believing that all govern ments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, we urge congress to heed this expression of the sentiments of our people on this question and to listen to some of the reasons why we will never consent to the proposed union.
 Our people feel just pride in their history, prosperity, development and high civilization, and confidently look to the future for the realization, through the development of our won derful resources and by reason of the splendid energy and character of our citizenship of still higher civiliza- tior and more general prosperity, and to the time, near at hand, when our qualifications, by. reason of our wealth, population and development, to single statehood must be recOg- nized by the whole people of Amer ica.
 We entertain for the people of our sister territory, New Mexico, the kindliest feelings, yet we profoundly believe that the union of the two ter ritories would be inimical to the best and highest interests of the people of both, and because of the differences in our history, laws, customs and races and because of the geographi- cal divisions which naturally separate and divide us, such union would be particularly harmful to the people of Arizona. We believe that the com plications which would inevitably result from an attempt to adjust inn partially the burdens of the debts of the territories and the various coun- ties and municipalities thereof, would result in irreconcilable differences, and that the prosperity and welfare of the various territorial institu- tions, educational and reformatory would be destroyed.
 We further believe that it would be impossible to adopt such code of laws as would meet the conditions in
 he Sf to the whole people of the proposed state. We further represent that political autonomy is the dearest wish and hope of our people, and stimulus of much of our work, labor and eff forts in esta blishing institutions which have for their object the education of our children, and the care and maintainance of the unfor- tunate, in the improvement and growth of our material interests, and in the development of our distinct i've type of civilization, and that the loss of this autonomy would destroy our hope, discourage effort, confuse our purpose for the future, retard our development and permanently injure us as people.
 To be compelled against our will and desires to lose our identity, and to be merged into the proposed state in which we would have so little voice, wounds our pride and violates our sense of justice and fairness.
 THEREFORE as a patriotic and law abiding people, we confidently ap- peal to the congress of the United States to avert the disaster that threatens us and rather than force upon us this unholy alliance, and proposed union, to allow us to re- main a territory forever.