Arizona republican., 1906-10-12
For Delegate to Congress Wm. F. Cooper
A PROPOSED CONSPIRACY TO
 DEFRAUD.

or all the reasons urged upon New Mexicans and Arizonians for voting for joint statehood the Albuquerque Citizen presents the most remarkable one. The Citizen favors more cleo tions. It believes elections are good for everybody but the trusts. Flee tions 1t thinks. help business, though it has been the unbrolen experience Of business men everywhere that they in terfere with business.
 The Citizen points out that the fed eraI government stands ready to pay for two elections. the first on the ques- tiou of statehood and the second on the question of the ratification of the con stitution. Why. asks the Citizen. do We want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg by defeating jOinture at the outset? Why not let it go through and then defeat the constitution? We will then. thinks the Citizen. all be where we were at the beginning. except that We will have absorbed the amount of the expenses of the last election. That is. we will have deliberately plum dsred the federal treasury of that amount
 This is, in its own words. the Citi- zen's line of argument:
 Everybody enjoys having an election come around; the business man be- cause it eases his trade in many ways; the man fond Of sport because it helps to scatter more or less money and all get some Of it; the poor man because on that day his vote has equal force with the trust magnate; others be- cause it causes agitation and by cir culation of millions of papers to a great extent helps to educate the people in matters of special importance
 Every voter of Greater Arizona ought to vote Yes" for joint state hood. That will give chance to vote for or against the adoption of con stitution, which brings on a second election; and if the constitution doesn't suit them they can vote No" at the second election, and then be just where they were before the first election, and have the advantage of having two cleo tiOns. with the expenditure of S15O,OOO for elections and conventions. But most of this expenditure by the gov ernment will be cut off if the majority in the present Arizona vote No" at the first election. The people. particularly Of Arizona. do not understand this inn portant natter"
 We are not surprised that such q proposition should originate in New Mexico, where more attention has from the earliest times been devoted 10 elections than to honest business: where politicians have steadily plum dered the territorial treasury untit ruiHous tax rate has been built up and fifteen of the counties have been over- whelmed with indebtedness.
 We have. besides. other than moral objection to entering with New Mexico into such conspiracy to despon the United States treasury. For instance. supposing there k. as the Citizen has steadfastly claimed. a great majority in New Mexico in favor of joint ure, and, further, supposing we should vote to hold a constitu- uona convention, and one should be held and a constitution should be adopted, in the words of that classic interrosatory. Where would We get on?" And how would We get out Q There would then be no separate vote We would be bound hard and fast to New Mexico. On second thought, We win not join New Mexico either in statehood or in a conspiracy to rob ths United States government.
 Thcrc would be nothing in it. any how, Elections always coSl moro than they are worth, X second constitu- tional convention. even it 1t should not involve us in danger. would cost ua more valuable time than our share os tho plunder to be hlChcd from thc aa uonal treasury would pay for. We think "wc understand this important matter" Get thee behind me Satau," We won't do it.