Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1905-08-16
TRICKS THE BUBBLE
 OF JOINT STATEHOOD
Journalist WE. Curtis Describes
 The Vicious Conditions in New Mexico

be considered the leader of the anti joint statehood faction-if it may b, called faction-and his sentiments may be learned from his official as vel as his private utteranees. In his last report he said:
 "There is no doubt that the great majority of the people of New Mexico are opposed to joining New Mexico and Arizona into one commonwealth as is proposed by pending legislation Even the small percentage who would acquiesee in such a consolidation pre- fer single and separate statehood foI each territory. This is not due tC any innate animosity between the two territories, but the inherent differences in population, in legislation, in indus tries, in contour, in ideals, and from an historic and ethnologic standpoint not to mention that the consolidation of two cOmmonwealths like New Mex, leo and Arizona into one is unprece- dented in American history"
 l have questioned nearly every per son I have met in New Mexico on this subject, and with the exception of MT. Rodey, alone, everybody has taken the same position as Governor Otero. Many denounce the joint statehood proposition in severe terms; as an out rage offered to a helpless people by members of the United States Senate, who do not know and do not care any thing about conditions in this terri tody, but are willing to pass the joint statehood bill in order to get rid of a troublesome problem.
 Senator Beveridge has no friends in this part of the country. The people resent his reports and his speeches, and both condemn and ridicule the part he has played in the statehood comedy. Beveridge pretends to have made a personal investigation of conditions both in New Mexico and Arizona. but if the statements of the people here are true, he absorbed most of his information through the pores of his skin. They assert that he spent only three or four days in New Mex icO; he scarcely left his ear during that time, and did not see more than a dozen or fifteen men-mostly politi- cians and others who have a personal interest in the bill. These statements may be exaggerated, for the prejudice against the senator is intense; but. at the same time he could not have seen anything of the territory or learn ed much concerning conditions during such a brief and superficial investiga- ton as he made
 Whether New Mexico is fitted for statehood depends upon what is re- quired for state There is something to be said on both sides. So far as population is concerned. there are al ready more people here than in two thirds of the states when they were ad- mitted. Taking the lowest estimate. there must be at least 250.OO0 inhabi- tants. while Iowa. Kansas. Nebraska. Colorado, North Dakota. and every one of the states west of the Alleghany mountains, with one or two exeep- tions. had smaller population than this when they were taken into the union.
 At the last election. November. 1904. 43.Oll votes were east. of which An drews. the Republican candidate for delegate, received 22,3OS; Money, the Democratic candidate. 17.125; Rodney, Independent. 3.419; and Landon. So- clalist' l62. The following table, gIvIng the votes east for delegates in the years named. will show the growth Of the voting population during the las, twenty years:
 lSS4. 27,443 votes: 1sss. so.6l2: 1891. 35.999; 1896. 36,O3O: 1898, s5.ssI: 1900. 39.il4; 1902. 8S.Ts9: 1904. 43O1l
 Out of twelve members of the conn. eil, or the upper house of the Iegisla. ture, two are Democrats. and three ar, native Mexicans. There are twenty. four members of the house of deleoates of whom six are Democrats. and four. teen are native Mexieans. The federal and territorial officers are all Renuh. lieans. The former number twenty. SIX. of whom two are natives. The latter number 43. of whom six are ma. tives. This division seems to he mn. fair to the natives, who east more than twothirds of the votes. Several of the federal officers are carpet bag gers. but the larger number were resi-. dents of the territory for some time be fore their appointment to office. The