Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1905-06-14

The fact that the government has in
tended for some time to consolidate the
land offices at Tucson and Prescott
owing to the decreasing business at
each place, has given rise to a bitter
struggle between Phoenix and Tucson
to get possession of the proposed new
office.
It is a foregone conclusion that the
land office here will be abolished, but
although the citizens dislike to sur
render it, yet in accepting the newt
able, they are as a unit in favor of the
consolidated office being located in
Phoenix. As a matter of justice TO
the residents of northern Arizona, that
is the place for it. 1t is the most
central point in the territory and
would be more easily accessible to the
great majority of the people than any
other place.
To force the people of central and
hOA bhSlh AAiNOhd " 70 ~ 1uCSou "
transact business would be a rank in
justice that the authorities at Wash
ington will hardly perpetrate.
1t now develops that the fight be-
tween Phoenix and Tucson has
reality resolved itself down to a con-
test between two great transcontinen-
tai railroads The Southern Pacific
is behind Tucson and the Santa Fe
is backing Phoenix. After all, the
decision as to the coveted location
will probably depend upon which rail
road has the greater pull at Washing
ton. That feature of the result will
certainly be interesting in itself.
Fen S. Hildreth, the register of the
local land office, is in Washington, and
is expected home in a few days. He
went 20 headquarters to safe guard
his interests with the view of getting
a like position in the new office when
it shall have been consolidated.
The Tucson Citizen is really alarm
ed over the prospect of Phoenix get
ting the plum, and it breaks forth into
some unkind expressions. as may be
seen by perusing the following article,
which that paper published recently:
eff the greedy Phoenix people
should by some hook, crook or subter-
fuge get the consolidated land office of
the territory, thereby closing the offices
at Tucson and Prescott, they will be
aware before the prize is in their clutch
that they have had a struggle.
"For more than a month the Tucson
Chamber of Commerce has been aware
of the underhanded moves of the
Phoenix Board of Trade to steal away
from this city the land office. Without
heralding its actions, the Chamber of
Commerce has quietly gone ahead and
done all in its power to block the
Phoenix move. What the final out
come will be is a question.
at seems hardly probable that the
government would close its b usiest Of
fee, for such the Tucson office is, ere
the register, receiver and clerk are
kept on the jump all the time to keep
up with the business, while at Prescott
the register and receiver find business
decidedly slow, and do not have occa-
sion to require a clerk to assist them.
"Phoenix makes the claim that the
placing of the consolidated office here
would entail hardship and inconveni-
ence on the people from the north
ern half of the territory. That city
seems to overlook the fact that the I
same would be true regarding the peo-
pie of the southern half of the territory /.
were the office to be located in Phoe- 1
nix. Residents of Bisbee, Douglas, I
and the southeastern section would be .
compelled to make two changes and
long lay-overs in going to Phoenix .
one at Benson and another at Mari /
copa. On the other hand people .
from the northern sections could make /
almost direct connections in coming to .
Tucson.
"The area covered by the Prescott
land office is on paper larger than that
of the Tucson land. In reality, how
ever, by far the larger section of de-
sirable land lies in the district COW
cred by the Tucson office, for in the
northern section there are several large
Indian reservations and forest reserves
and much Of the land is undesirable.