Arizona republican., 1905-12-02
The Momentous Congress.

The Fifty-ninth congress will con- vene day after tomorrow. The coun- try is more interested in the work of that congress that it has been in the prospective legislation of any congress in recent years. The subject of railroad rate legislation has been discussed from one end of the country to the other. There is speculation as to whether the members of the Fifty-ninth will con- clude that the time has come for radical change in the countrys tariff system.
 Momentous as the approaching ses- sion is to the whole United States, the interest of this territory in the con- gress surpasses that of any other sec tion of the country for on the word of the majority depends it's political life or death. Arizona will be either per mitted to retain its present identity the guardianship of it's material wealth and the direction of it's future prosperity or it will hereafter exist only in name.
 
 the gravity of the situation has not been fully understood. It has voiced from time to time the general confi- dence of Arizonians, and it believes now that this monstrous project will fail. Its confidence is based upon the tendency of a majority of men to do the right thing and the inconceivabil- ity that a majority of the congressman would consent to So great a wrong as Is proposed in the joining of New Mexico and Arizona. But it is got to be forgotten that majorities in con- gress have done monstrous things and it may be presumed that future congresses will do them.
 The greatest danger has seemed to lie in the unfamiliarity of congress- men with conditions in the territories. There is no doubt a better acquain- ance with those conditions than there was at the time the Hamilton bill was under discussion. Arizona will have that advantage in the coming strug- gle. We know that we will have staunch champions in the members of the Tawney party who came here as honest investigators and went away opponents of joint statehood. But all investigators are not honest. There is for example, Senator Beveridge. There is no doubt of his familiarity with con- ditions, whatever may have been his misrepresentation of them in his speeches and writings. Equally doubt Beveridge, to whom expediency is more than the welfare of the territo- ries.
 Many of the members, though, dis posed to be just, are inclined to apa- thy. It might occur to them that the creation of so vast state would be a bad thing for the state, but they ar que that if a majority of the people want it, it would be we'll to let them have it. and be done forever with the troublesome statehood business. These are the members who are to be fear ed for they comprise a considerable part of the voting strength. They have been informed by the non-partisan joint statehood league of New Mexico that there is in that territory practi- cally DO opposition to joint statehood. The small coterie of joint statists at Tucson have informed them that though there is yet some op position in this territory, it is rap idly waning. They have been bom- barding congressman with these gross misstatements for months.
 It is true that the friends of Arizona have not been idle but they have been less active, trusting more to the jus tice of their cause than to incessant labor to prove it. It is not too late yet to work and much can be done between the introduction of the joint statehood bill and the end of it in one way or the other.
 MT. Beveridge has left no doubt that the fight will begin early and that it will be continued until it is fought out forever. He should be met at the outset and the first half of the fight should not be let go by default as was done before