Arizona silver belt., 1905-05-18
FOR THE PRESIDENTS EAR

| run Inc ThcoiOCNI Ian
Mr.. Roosevelt, you neglected the OPP
portunity of your life when you did not
select Arizona as your hunting ground
during your recent vacation. This ter
ritory could have furnished you as much
game, as big game and as game sport
as you can find within the confines of
the American continent. You could
have secured many more trophies of the
hunt than you did. Hides Yes And
you could have bagged thousands of
hearts as well, for you would have es-
tablished yourself firmly in the affec-
tons of the people of Arizona who are
asking of you and your congress what
they are clearly entitled to- With your
well known spirit of giving every man
square deal" you would have recog-
nized the truth of this claim, had you
examined for yourself the conditions
which today obtain in Arizona.
1t is not supposable for a moment
that you feared to come because of the
possibility of being convinced against
your preconceived opinion, for you were
never known to fear a responsibility or
shirk duty. But it is lamentabe
fact that you have listened to the
siren voice of professional political
hucksters, to whom statehood for a
deserving territory is only considered
in the light of pawn in the national
game of chess to be sacrificed at will
to temporarily safeguard some knight
or castle of the great machine which
we know you despise as much as we do.
You are one of the best democrats
the republican party can boast of
because you are in sympathy with the
great people and believe in equity for
all classes. You are the peoples pres
ident and have shown in many ways
that you recognize the fact, and that
you are not merely the iigurehead on the
republican battleship. Why risk
smirching your administration by an
act of injustice foisting upon two ter
ritories yoke which neither desires
and yet pretend that it is in answer to
a demand of the people?
As ranchman you would not have
hitched up two unbroken bronchos and
expected them to travel well in double
harness, nor yoked a three-ye ar-old |
steer with yearling and tried to pillow
with them. AS a student of law you
would not care to purchase a ranch, |
half of which was in a territory which |
has been for years governed by laws
based on the Code Napoleon, and half |
within the confines of another district
where matters legal are construed in
accordance with the theories of Sir Ed
ward Coke and Sir VIM. Blackstone. AS
a man you have ever objected to being
coerced into any measure which you
felt to be altogether wrong and we
feel just that way out here about this
territorial wedding which your i'll
advised steerers recommend.
You cannot look for a happy mar
Rage where the bride SHES at the
bonds and "Barkis is not
villin'. " Arizona has done nothing to
make such forced marriage necessary.
f you had seen the thousands of hearty,
Happy rosy-cheeked boys and girls who
ire growing as rank as wild flowers all
'ver the territory, you would have
called that race suicide was not one
# Arizona's besetting sins.
Your eastern friends have figured
hat in 1907 Arizona will lead all other
we almost said states-in the coun-
ry, in copper production, married or
ingle) thousands of eastern men are
Jumping millions of money here to de-
'elop the vast resources of this great
ection, and some Of the brightest of
hem have come here to live "because
hey like it," These men will tell YOU
hat this proposed hyphenated state
ood would prove fraud and worse
han delusion. We are doing mighty
veil as we are today and would do
cap better if we belonged to the big
amily ofstates. If you've single room
o spare save it for Arizona, but we
raw the line at two-in-a-bed. Oh,
theodore Why didn't you come and ,
,ay us visit?