The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-18
WHAT AUS HIMr

To an uninterested observer. 1t would seem that the President displays wonderful lack of tact. and an equally wonderful evidence of buil-headedness when he tries to force Congress to ad- init Arizona and New Mexico into the Union as a single state. Just why he Is so intent on this matter is not at all plain. There is no great national or international policy involved in it. It is not matter that affects the interests of the Government or the welfare of the people generally. There is no poll
 tics in it, or sbouid not be, though Roosevelt is trying to make t Party question. Yet, aside from the injustice
 of trying to force the Arizonians into
 joint statehood with the greasers and
 mongrels of New Mexico. he is display
 ing persistency and insistency on the
 subject that is hard to explain on any visible hypothesis. Not only is he using
 his personal influence to bring Republi- can members to support the measure, but he uses his oficiaI power to force
 them to fall in with his views. He threatens to take the patronage away
 from them and-to otherwise bring the forces of his administration to bear | against them if they persist in oppos- l ing him.
 I We repeat that his position is in comprehensible to us. There is no
 great moral principle involved. that
 we can see. Oklahoma and Indian Ter
 ritory deserve Statehood fer them
 selves, either singly or jointly. and
 should have 1t Arizona has both the
 area and population to entitle it to ad-
 mission without being yoked to an un- pleasant mate, yet if all the Territo- ries should be forced to remain out un- {, til another Congress assemblies nc great harm would be done. That there : would be injustice to at least three ol
 them is true. but it would not De IT. l reparable, yet the President is using l, all the means at his command to force 5 his Party to carry out his policy. Si We repeat that this is 8 tactless pro l ceeding on the part of Roosevelt. Ther' i are questions to come before the Con 2 gress of far more importance to him 9 self and to the country than this on 9 of statehood They are matters. toe $ upon which he has set his heart an 4 to the furtherance of which he ha ; more than once pledged himself. Il ''ss will need all his Party strength to ge
 through Congress the important legis !. Iatpn he has promised, yet we sec hii
 driving his Party friends away fror ,- him by his domineering ways, contin d ually widening the breach betwee ,- himself and Republican members, { both Houses, and apparently bent o Is the policy of rule or ruin Looking
 if from partisan standpoint, C. vfouldn't care how wide he splits Party, nor whether himself or = friends in Congress go down, for eith'
 happening would be good thing Il
 Democrats, and If we cared for not es ing but Party success, we would vii h' that they could destroy each otht IL but there is something more than Par ie to be considered. There are matters te legislation that are of vital importan hh to the entire country. and those US terests will be jeopardized, if not d re- kfeated. if this war between Roosev' ln' and Congress continues, And he ong lat to see it; vet 1t appears that he is wi is- ing to split his Party and perhaps II feat important public legislation ratn b. than be defeated in his attempt nd unite New Mexico with Arizona WI on ails him?