Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1906-04-04

ton the senator makes with respect 20
the matter of taxation.
Now, another matter that the senator
has spoken about is the impossibility.
as he terms it, of Arizona ever having
population large enough TO qualify
her for statehood in the union. lie tells
us of the arid lands; how impossible Il
is to subject them TO irrigation or to
bring them under cultivation in any
respect. And he has exhibited plats
and diagrams TO show us that Arizona
can never IN any contingency have a
population to exceed about one million.
Mr.. President, this is not the first time
In the history of this country that we
have heard reports and speeches in
congress of the same general charac
ter with respect TO territories that were
little known at the time when such re.
maks and such speeches were made.
Mr.. Webster, as somebody said here
the other day, had profound knox.
ledge of the Constitution, but seemed
to be very poor Judge Of real estate.
lie did not think there was anything in
California, where today everything
blooms and blossoms ms the rose, which
justified an expectation that IL would
ever be of any value.
wish to say just one other word
that ] was cut of from saying when
the Chair announced this morning that
my time had expired. was abou,
proceeding to call attention 20 the fact
that what is predicted now for the fu
ture with respect TO Arizona as a
place to sustain population is not very
reIiable IN view Of past experience.
Nearly every portion Of new country
that has been settled up In the fard,s.
tant sections has been reported adverse
ly on in the beginning. referred TO
the fact this morning that rs to Cali
fornia it was thought not /, he les p
able. We all know that We friitcrcd
away the control Of the mouth of the
81. Lawrence because our commits
sioncrs had no proper appreciation of
the value Of that territory. We Ill
know that we frittcred AWAY the
northwestern section Of our country for
the same reason. But ] did not know
until this morning, when "A gentleman
called my attention to IL, that We came
very nearly losing tbs state of Michi.
gan on the same account. have loo.
fore me mn official reocr,, maize ~
1915 by the surveyors Of IA. govern.
mcnt, Mt the head ~ whica was H.
ward Tiffn, afterwards governor OF
Ohio, and one of the most aistirgu,shc.
men of our state. Thrv were sent rp
there to make survey and report up
on the character Of land, with view
to making n provision there for the
soldiers of the war of the iovJlr, n
and the war of 1912. II is long ~.
port. The result of IL il summed ~
in the last paragraph ms follows
"On approaching the eastern part Of
the military lands toward he private
claims on the strait and lake, re
country does not contain 30 m,ny
swamps and lakes, but the extreme srer
ility and barrcnncss of the soil con
tinues the same taking the country
altogether, 50 far M has been explored.
and to all appearances, together with
the information received concerning
the balance, il liz ms bad-thcre woull
not be more than one acre out of hrii.
dred, If there would be one out ~ a
thousand, that would in any case AL
mt Of cultivation.
So much for the state If Michigan in
1915, after a careful exploration by
these surveyors. They were exploring
the northern part Of Michigan, and
they said, according TO all the reports
they could get as to fhe remainder of
Michigan, IT was equally ms bad, an'i
gan more than one acre out Of hun
dred, perhaps not more than one acre
out Of a thousand, that would ever be
subjected TO cultivation. They were
mistaken.
When you and / were In SCHOOL,
will not say how many years ago, but
will say forty years ago-everyone
who was in school studying geography
can remember that what In now the
western part Of the state Of Kansas
was pat down as the Great American
Desert. We were all taught that IL
was a desert like unto the Sahara, and
there would never be any residences
there; that il never could be subjected
to cultivation; that 1t could never be
made TO support population. But to
day nobody can find where the Amer
can desert was located. IL Is all one