Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-07-27
Los ANGELES MAN
TALKS ON STATEHOOD
Hon. E. J. Niles, Prominent
Capitalist, FavOrs Joint
Statehood.
BELIEVES THE BILL WILL PASS

Hon. E. J. Niles, well known capt.
alist of Los Angeles, who has been
prominently connected with upbuild
ing of that city, who is spending O
fw days in Albuquerque, the guest OF
Col. w. II. Greer. is strong advocate
of Joint statehood. Mr.. Niles has made
a careful study of the statehood ques
tion and as he has travelled extensive
ly over both territories, he is well
posted on the subject.
"You want to know what think ol
New Mexico and Arizona, as regards
the statehood question, do you?" is
the way he answered when approach
ed by a reporter for the Evening Citi.
zen.
well to get right down to the ques
ton, | will say that for the past two
weeks | have been with Col. Greer
and during that time | have heard, ii
seems to me, no'other subject conver
sed but statehood. 1t seems to be OF
such paramount importance that nc
two people from the southwest can
meet without at once becoming invol.
we'd in a controversy.
"In Los Angeles, men from New
Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma
or any other place in the United
States resolve themselves into a COM
mittee to settle the matter and it
usually results in a riot call. From
my observations | am satisfied that
statehood is the desire of a great ma
jority of the citizens of both territor-
les and while the leaders in Arizona
are opposed to joint statehood, the
mass of the people, the leading attor-
1eys, the bankers, the better class of
business men, in fact all those who
have the real interest of the common
wealth at heart are unalterabl,y ire
vocably and insistently for statehood,
single statehood if possible, but state
hood in any event, and their deduc-
tions are logical, their conclusions are
final, and justly so, for no argument
has been advanced by the opponents
Of statehood other than a selfish one.
"The underlying motive of those
opposed to joint statehood in both ter
ritories would appear to be fear on
the part of the politicians that there
would not be enough Offices to go
around in the event of statehood.
While a potent argument from their
viewpoint, it carries no weight with
the people.
Another draw back New Mexico
and Arizona have, and a draw back
that is not generally realized, is that
It would be next to impossible to in
duce a convention of any kind to come
to a territory. By convention l mean
any great body of people such as the
knights Templar, the Epworth
League or other great bodies that go
to advertise a country. The reason
would be that the name of territory
would make them balk.
"By the way, | want to tell you an
amusing incident that happened in
the lobby of the Hollenbeck hotel re-
Gently, and which can explain the
sentiments of prominent Arizonians
on the statehood question. A number
of gentlemen had met in the lobby OF
the hotel and after eXhausting the or
dinary topics someone mentioned
statehood. A live wire could not have
produced such a commotion. Oratory,
rhetoric finished and unfinished in
yective billingsgate and other things
poured fourth in a fierce volume upon
the astonished native auditors.
ludllNt " tlilNu tue al uihNAls bhN
of the group suddenly called: 'Gener-
al, general, come here a moment The
general. a tall clean-cut and dignified
gentleman, joined the party, and was
introduced as General Ainsworth, OF
Arizona, an undOubted authority on
matters appertalning TO statehood and
one we'll qualified TO extinguish Col.
Greer.
General asked one OF the party,
give the colonel your opinion on joint
statehood
Certainly the general responded.
"Colonel want to say TO you that
the only salvation of the two territor-
les is Joint statehood. | am unalter-
ably opposed to single statehood. be-
lieve joint statehood will be the
means OF making New Mexico and
Arizona one Of the greatest states In
the union and let me bell you gen.