The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1906-10-25
STATEHOOD ADVOCATES.
Judge AinSwOrth and Tom Fitch Address
the Clifton People.

Spdnn IN neat speech.
The Judge is d man of ability, d
good speaker, and presented his case
in forceful manner. The audience
however will agree with the ERA in
the statement that his principal ar
gument was criticism of railroads
and the copper companies. He
seems to have entirely overlooked
the fact that the freight and fare
bill recently passed by congress, by
which the government assumes
supervision of the railroads, will be
the means of correcting many of the
ills of which the judge complains
In regard to taxing railroads, he
stated that they are now assessed in
Arizona, at 600 per mile, as
against $1,000 in New Mexico, and
yet he insists that the merging of
the two territories would be the
means of an increased assessment of
railroads. This is indeed strange
logic. If New Mexico wants to tax
railroads at a fair rate, why in the
name of common sense hasn't she
done so long ago? In regard to the
assessment of the Santa Fe, which
by an act of congress, is allowed to
escape with d fiat tax rate of SI75
| per mile, he argues that under Joint
statehood it would be taxed at fair
valuation, or at least as high as that
of other roads. In this he is prOba-
bly, correct, but the same power that
created the law practically exempt
ing the Santa Fe from taxation, can
pass new law repeating the old one
and leaving the assessment of the
road to the territorial board of
equalization, and by the way. the
ERA has it upon good authority that
this will be the first official duty of
w. Fennimore Cooper, man of the
people, when he takes his seat in
congress. There isn't a newspaper
in Arizona that has-fnade a more
consistent and earnest fight for the
taxing of railroads at fair valua-
tion than the ERA, but we do not
think that anything can be gained by
abuse. Arizona needs more railroads
and more mining companies. Clifton
would be only too glad to welcome
the coming of the S. P, the Santa
Fe and the Clifton & Durango rail
road. With these roads Clifton
would spread up and down the Frisco
and Chase creek, and it would soon
become the greatest mining and
smelling town in Arizona.
He was especially severe in his
criticisms of the copper mining COM
panies, which, to more than any
other influence, is due the wonderful
prosperity of Arizona, which today
is in many respects the most pros
porous legal subdivision of the
United States. He claims, and in
some instances justly, that they are
not taxed high enough, and that by
joining with New Mexico, they would
be taxed at what they should be.
h Ait,& I
The patented mines of New Mexico
are now taxed at only $50 per acre,
while in this county not a single
mine was taxed at less than $1,000.
while many of them were taxed at
from $4,000 to several hundred
thousand dollars each. Arizona is
now in a fair way to adjust her in
CAPABILITIES in assessment, and if let
alone she will succeed in doing so
but if joined with New Mexico she
will be as helplessly under the con
troll of corporate influence as is New
Mexico.
He stated that corporations of
Arizona are opposed to jointure, and
that they control the legislature,
etc. He might also have stated that
the corporations of New Mexico are
in favor of jointure, and that they
also control the legislature, and so
for have been able to protect their
interest much better than the cor
porations of Arizona.
He treated the school matters as of
local interest only, which is correct.
and yet the fact remains that \ ri
IONA with less than half the popula-
tion of New Mexico, spends more
money on her schools than does her
neighbor on the other side of the
continental divide.
He was fair enough to state that
the legislative bodies of Arizona
were more free from the charges of
graft than those of New Mexico. He
might have gone even further end
stated that according to the news
papers of New Mexico, her legisla-
ture is everywhere regarded as the
most corrupt in the United States. 1
He might also have stated, without
the slightest danger of contradiction.
that the average price of ''fixing"
the legislature in New Mexico is al
ways reasonable. But the trouble
over there is that they won't stay
fixed" In this connection it might
be well for the voter who desires in
formation on this particular point.
to refer to a letter from Judge Z. J. !
Clark which appeared in the ERA
last week. Judge Clark has resided |
in New Mexico twenty-five years, and |
knows what he is writing about. He !
IS Il man of understanding and his |
statement should have weight with |
he voter. a part of his letter was
as follows:
1--WE want your help to put that
Santa Fe gang out of business. No !
wonder we are poor with that gang
Using up everything they can lay
heir hands on. [ never will vote for
single statehood for New Mexico"
Do the people of Arizona want to
become entangled in such a mess?
During Judge Ainsworth's long and
interesting speech he carefully /
-voided saying one good word for
Arizona, but he skinned the copper
companies from start to finish, and
to miners as d transitOry
lass, and mines as tickle and uncer-
ain. The judge probably does not
now that copper mines of Michigan
aye been operating for more than
alf a century, and that their out
ut is growing larger every year.
lie probably does not know that the
Upper mines of Spain were operat-
1g before the birth of the Christian
ra, and that today they are produc-
lg more copper and employing more
eOple than at any time i'll their has .
Dry. He probably does not know
hat the copper mines of Arizona are
ct in their infancy. and in d few