Arizona republican., 1905-11-25
PnOENIX. ARIZONA, NOV. 25, 1905.
A DemoraIizIng Sentiment.

Some mention has been made by The Republican of meeting of a few joint statehood advocates at Tucson last Monday night and of subsequent reports by them of that meeting printed or sent out by telegraph for the purpose of deceivinS the public.
 The morning after the meeting, the Arizona Star said in its report of the proceedings: Gen Thomas F. Will son was for joint statehood because he saw no possible show for single statehood. He indicated that the req son why Frank Murphy was so in- terested in preventing joint statehood or statehood at all, as he was the rep resentative of the Santa Fe interest in New Mexico. He said the Santa Fe had a free right of way across that territory, and which would remain free as long as 1t remained a territory, but if New Mexico should become a state, that company would have to pay its share of taxes. Gen. Wilson believed the sentiment in favor of joint state hood was growing very rapidly throughout the territory. and was in favor of anything that would give us home government, for which he had been waiting for more than twenty years
 It appears that the Star exaggerated the enthusiasm of General Wilson on the subject of joint statehood, when it said that he was "in favor of any thing that would give us home gov eminent" For instance, General Will son was not in favor of being lied about either in the meeting or out of it for the next day the Star under the head of "A Correction" printed inconspicuously the following, evident ly the composition of the general him self:
 "In the Stars report of the joint statehood meeting Monday evening last, a mistake was made in quoting Gen. Thomas F. Wilson as saying, "The reason that Frank Murphy was so interested in opposing joint state hood, or statehood at all, was that  MT. Murphy was the representative of the Santa Fe interests" MT. Wilson did not mention the name of MT. Mur- phy at all nor refer to him in any way, nor did MT. Wilson refer to the Santa Fe system or any other railway system in any way, except to say in reply to the criticism of another speaker on the action of the territorial board of equalization, that congress, when it made the land grant to the Atlantic and Pacific railway. which was through the northern part of Ari- zona and is now a part of the Santa Fe, the rate of taxation of the road had been made by congress and could not be interfered with while Arizona was territory, and the territorial board of equalizatio had not attempt ed to impose a higher tax than con- gress had fixed for the Santa Fe, as such taxes should be equaL''
 The misquoting of the general was deliberate The Star can not plead that General Wilson's remarks at the meeting came to it by hearsay for the report further states that its editor, former Governor Hughes and its as- sistant editor, John T. Hughes, were present throughout the festivities and were active participants.
 The report, if The Republican is judge of literary style, was written by Governor Hughes himself. The Republican is familiar with his style. made so by an earnest perusal of the edlfying columns of the Star and the careful and frequent reading of the Beveridge letter in which the governor embalmed his choicest English.
 The governor must have known that General Wilson did not say what the Star made him say, but the governor believed the general ought to have said it just as he made Senator Beveridge write what he thought the senator ought to have written.
 After all this is not a momentous matter and space is devoted to it merely to show the demoralizing ten dency of the joint statehood sentiment; how 1t destroys the moral sensibili- ties of those upon whom it seizes.