Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-10-21
CONGRESSIONAL PARTY

The Optic of yesterday denies the claim Of the JOINT
statehood papers that the reports of the views held by
the congressional party while in Arizona were somewhat
too highly colored, and refers to the interviews with the
party as published in the same issue of the Optic.
The Citizen would not for a moment insinuate that
the Optic interviews, in passing through the mind of the
reporter. were Just as liable to a personal coloring as
were the interviews in the Arizona papers; though in
support of such a possibility the fact that even in scien-
tiric investigation and observation allowance must be
made for what scientists call "the personal equation
while the Optics own assertion that the attitude Of the
party will prove entirely pleasing to the majority of the
people Of New Mexico and Arizona" certainly supplies
an illustration of how easy it is to project ones own
thoughts upon the opinions of others. However, The
Citizen would ask a question and make a statement.
The question is, What is the attitude of the congress
ionaI party, which the Optic states will be so entirely
pleasing to the majority of the people of New Mexico
and Arizona? The Optic, doubtless without any consci-
GUS use of the personal equation says that this atti-
tude is: Drop this joint statehood agitation. The ter
rftories deserve separate statehood. Educate the nation
and congress to that idea. We will help you all we can,
and New Mexico and Arizona can't be kept out of the
Union for five years more. The fight being made by a
few people in the territory and by some members of con-
gress is all that is keeping you out now
Three comments are all this attitude deserves.
First, it is a confession that at present there is no hope
for single statehood. To get that the nation and con
gress' must be educated and even with all the hep"
this party proposes to render, the most optimistic or
them put the limit at five more years. Single statehood,
therefore. is a mere pretense under which to avoid all
statehood.
Second, the attitude is the height of absurdity. For
fifty years New Mexico has been kept out of the Union.
During twenty-five of those years, to the personal knowl-
edge of this writer, ceaseless, strenuous and intelligent
efforts have. been made to educate the nation and con
gress to let New Mexico into the Union; and yet the
visiting party confesses that the nation and congress
must still be educated. But, says one, whom Arizona
hosnita iitv had rendered bOneful what nearly TWENTY-FIVE
years of well directed effort has failed to do, can easily
be done in the next five years, for in this education OF
the nation and congress I'VE will help you all we can.
Third, the attitude is absolutely false. What keeps
New Mexico, Oklahoma, Indian Territory and Arizona
from each entering the Union as a separate and indie
pendent state, is not the lack of education on the part
of the nation and congress, but the determination of the
money power in the eastern and central states that its
supremacy in the senate, and therefore in legislation
shall not be endangered by the admission Of eight add
tional senators from the southwest. Even the able aid
of the ten gentlemen who have been touring Arizona
cannot, even though they make themselves missionaries
of education to the nation and congress, scale this rocl
of Gibraltar, for it is a matter of vital interest and not Of
mere ignorance, 1t is further false that the effort fol-
joint statehood is all that is keeping us. out now? Is il
keeping Oklahoma and Indian Territory out? Did il
7 keep New Mexico out for fifty years? Did it keep Ari
zona and New Mexico out for the last twenty years
Did it keep them out in the fight for the omnibus bill
Did it prevent their admission separately during the last
congress? Comment is useless.
The statement which The Citizen desires to make Is
that the house of representatives will consist on assem-
bling of $50 members To pass any bill will require 49,
votes. The political complexion of the house is 251 re
publicans and 1856 democrats. Joint statehood is a re
publican party measure. Suppose, then, every democrat
shall vote against it. There must be fiftynine republi
cans to prove false to party fealty, or in other words fifty
more than the nine republicans who recently visited
Arizona and passed through New Mexico. Can any one
reasonably expect so unusual an occurrence? Then, af
ter defeating jointure, can the democrats hold these fifty
nine republicans to vote for four single statehood bills
or two such bills or an omnibus bill, any Of which would
have to come up as a democratic measure? Any one car
see that the proposition is joint statehood or nothing
The Citizen can further state that within the last tive
weeks Speaker Cannon stated to a member of congress
than whom one more prominent does not belong to thai
body, that at an early day in the session a iointure bill
will be reported from the committee on territories ant
will be passed by the house.