Williams news., 1905-06-03

"ho Oy iOoSoh oA GhO SplCliOiu Ou~ ergy and character of our citizen ship of a still higher civilization and more general prosperity and to the time, near at hand, when our qualifications, by reason of our wealth, population and develop ment, to single statehood must be recognized by the whole people of America.
 We entertain for the people of our sister territory, New Mexico, the kindliest feelings, and sympa thize with them in their efforts for admission as state of the Union. Yet we profoundly believe that the union of the two territories as one state would be inimical to the best and highest interests of the people of both and because of the differ ences in our history, laws, customs and races, and because of the geo. graphical divisions which naturally separate and divide us, such union would be particularly harmful to the people of Arizona.
 We believe that the complica tions which would inevitably result from an attempt to adjust impar- tially the burdens of the debts of the territories and of the various counties and municipalities thereof. would result in irreconcilable diff ferences, and that the prosperity and welfare of the various ter1ito- rial institutions, educational. elee- mosary and reformatory, would be endangered and their usefulness destroyed.
 We further believe that it would be impossible to adopt such code of laws as would meet the condi- tions in each territory and yet which would be just to the whole people of the proposed state. We further represent that political au- tonomy is the dearest wish and hope of our people, and the stimu- Jus of much of our work, labor and effort in esta blishing institutions which have for their object the edu- cation of our children and the care and maintenance of the unfortun- ate, in the improvement and growth of our material interests, and in the development of our distinctive type of civilization; and that the loss of this autonomy would destroy our hope, discourage effort, confuse our purposes for the future, retard our development and permanently in jure us as people.
 To be compelled against our will and desire 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 justness 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 proposed union, to allow us to remain a territory in definitely.
 J. c. Adams was unanimously chosen president of the league; w. B Cleary was elected secretary, and w. D. Fulwiler treasurer. Then followed the election of the vice presidents of county leagues, and the secretary-treasurer of each coun- ty organization.
 The rest oi the evening was given over to oratory. interesting speeches being made by Gen. Wilson, Robert E. Morrison, Judge D. H. Pinney and others.
 Shortly before adjournment Chair man Kibbey, as at the afternoon session, announced that he and others had received a large number of telegrams since the former ses- sion, too many to attempt to read them all, to the convention, but there were two which he desired especially to refer to. One was from Senator Clark of Butte, Mont, in which he hoped for the success of the convention and the move ment it inaugurates, promising his personal and official support. The other was from Governor Otero of New Mexico, in which he congrat- ulated Arizona and the convention, stated that the greater number of ( L1 1e