Bisbee daily review., 1906-06-24
PAGE TEN

tp be held in the Territory for the lee tion of Territorial officers on the 9th day of next November. Everybody can be i'll attendance without any eN pense or any trouble, except only thai which the people would go to anyhow to attend the regular election. At thai election ballot is to be furnished to each voter whici Will enable him to vote upon the direct question whether or not he wants joint statehood. Thus we get an expression upon this direct question. At the same election. under the provisions of the conference report they can elect delegates to the consti tutional convention. to take office. if there be in each Territory a majority vote in favor of joint statehoou, and frame a constitution. Otherwise the election to go for naught. ..-. t
 It seems to me that, under all the circumstances, this is a fair and just adjustment of the controversy. and hope the conference report will be adopted"
 Mir. Patterson. Mir. President, being a member of the Committee on Terri tories and a minority member of the committee of conference, in view oi what seems very much like criticism upon the result of the labors of the conference committee. think should not permit this matter to close without saying a few words.
 To be sure, a minority member oi a committee of conference such as this is not very epviable position-A minority member is soon given to real iZe that he is sort of yermiform ap' pendix. He has no particular function to perform. except to irritate the GoGy of which he is a part. l sonIg,i iInes think that a surgical operation might as well be performed to eliminate minority members of committees Of this kind
 In what may be termed the unin- portant features of the bill. although every feature is necessarily important to the Territories concerned. the mi nority members had their Say. But when the real statehood question was reached-the details of the submission of the question of joint statehood ICr New Mexico and Arizona-we were called in only after the work was done and the fiat of the majority was ready 10 be proclaimed. To certain CXtenf We have given enforced acQuiencence to it. But to the main propositions contained Tn the measure we gave most cheerful and hearty acquiencence. To that part Of the report which Will make certain the statehood of Okia- homa within a reasonable time the minority members of the conference are in most hearty accord. To that part which prohibits joint statehood for Arizona and New Mexico until there shall be an election held unuer reasonably favorable circumstances uG also give our hearty accord. So as to these features of the conference re port am inclined to think the minor Sly members give more hearty support to the report than do the majority members.
 Mr. President, as to Arizona and New Mexico there is no doubt that every member on this side of the Chamber, with one possible exception has been from the first in favor ot the admission of each as a State in the Union. We have believed from the time this discussion commenced that each had the area, the population. tne wealth, and the civilization that are necessary to make each of them a State of which the entire country might well be proud; and therefore almost as united body we have stood contending here and before the country for the admission of each of them as separate States.
 1 have been particularly impelled to this by reason of the provision creat- ing Arizona a Territory, for therein It was most solemnly provided that the government of Arizona should con- tinue until the people of that Terri tory applied to Congress for admission as a State. regarded the joint state hood proposition for these Territories as an open and almost inexcusable violation of an obligation that was i'm posed upon all succeeding Congresses by the Congress that created Arizona Territory, and that it should uuL ue ignored. For that reason We fought to the last ditch. it may be said, in opposition to everything that vas in tended to forclbly unite them.
 = To the first e9Dferelee report, think, this side of the Chamber was opposed as q body, because it did ret submit to the people of each Territo ry. fairly and squarely and without duress, the proposition of joint or sin gle statehood. In any event, MT. Pres ident, without going into details. as did the Senator from Ohio. no Senator could read the provisions If that re port without recognizing that there was no fair time for registration or fol the formation of constitution or fol a proper understanding of . consti tutlon before everything would have tc be voted upon next November,
 In addition to that, by reason uf th' peculiar language of the law provid ing for registration, it was clear to m' that upon the final vote upon botl the constitution and for officers al least one-half of the legally qualified voters of Arizona would be dlsIraIi chited-
 But, Mir. President, so far as the pro visions of the present conference re port go, they, I believe. secure to tn people of both New Mexico and Ari zona as fair an opportunity as couit have been expected for the voters O each to express their desires upon tn question of joint statehood. There |