New-York tribune., 1906-06-15
THE STATEHOOD COMPROMISE.

The two houses of Congress have reached an
agreement on the Joint Statehood bill which
in our judgment is thoroughly reasonable and
satisfactory Oklahoma and the Indian Terri
tory are TO be admitted as the State of Okla
homa as soon as the voters of the two terri
tories organize a government and adopt con-
stitution. New Mexico and Arizona are to be
permitted to vote next November. each sep
arately, on the question of union. If either ter
ritory opposes amalgamation the conclusion VIII
be drawn that there is no sufficient desire on
the part Of the two communities concerned for
statehood and no sufficient appreciation of the
motives which lead the older states as matter
of equity and self-protection, TO hesitate about
admitting into the federal circle another sage
brush and cactus commonwealth like Nevada.
If the people of the two territories prefer to
maintain their present status for another decade
or two, the rest of the country can have no seri-
Gus objection to offer.
The Tribune cordially supported the House
Joint Statehood bill because it was anxious to
see the new State of Oklahoma created and was
anxious to test the real strength of the senti-
ment in Arizona and New Mexico which was
clamoring for statehood privileges. We believed
that 1t lay entirely within the discretion of Con
e,ress to fix the boundaries of new states, ignor
ing or respecting, 1t saw fit, existing pro-
yisional geographical groupings No restriction
could be put on the judgment OF Congress IN
this respect, and If the two houses chose to con-
soidate Oklahoma and the Indian Territory
there could be no legal or logical objection 10
their consolidating Arizona and New Mexico
The only test to be applied was that of expedi-
ency, and in our opinion no more violence would
be done to natural rights and natural affinities
by joining the two eX-Spanish and Mexican ter
ritories of Arizona and New Mexico than by
Ind aDd WI
ulations of Oklahoma and the Indian Territory.
In the latter case no question was raised
either as 10 the power or the sound judgment Of
Congress. But some sentimental protests from
Arizona against an impairment of that terri
tory's geographical and political integrity"
coupled with doubts In many minds as to the
ripeneSs Of Arizona and New Mexico for state
hood, either Jointly separately, induced the
Senate 10 reject the House plan for dealing with
the two pairs Of applicants on the same basis,
and TO leave the projected union of Arizona and
New Mexico hanging in mid-air Now, as COM
promise, the two desert territories are to go
through the form of registering their opinion on
the union favored by the House.
AS we have recently said, this concession com
mits Congress TO nothing, and the result of the
election, If it proves that the two communities
are ayerse to union, will only confirm the settled
opinion of the larger and more populous states
that Arizona and New Mexico may be pro1tably
left 10 tarry a while in Jericho. The positive
merit of the present agreement is that it will
bring at once into the Union q populous and
prosperous new state, whose people have not
baked at the arrangements made by Congress
for consolidating areas hitherto politically sep
arated. Oklahoma's status is secured to the
general satisfaction Of the country, while the
status OF New Mexico and Arizona is left for
future determination in accordance with the
proofs they may hereafter give of their fitness
TO enter the federal circle.