Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-02-01
Deputy Collector
Gibbons on State
hood Measure.
INJUSTICE TO ARIZONA
Enough to Call for Resistance
by Arms in Opinion Of
Vast Majority.

NlHGly-elSnl pei Ceut VI tAC PCo
, ple of Arizona will vote against join
statehood if given the opportunity
Sixty per cent of them are opposed te
any statehood measure.
This statement was made last night
by Floyd J, Gibbons, deputy internal
revenue collector, stationed at Phoenix
Arizona, who Is In Santa Fe this week
attending TO official business. AL
though Mr.. Gibbons holds public OF
flee, he is not afraid to express his
views and to do so in no uncertain
language.
Continuing he said:
1T will certainly be to the detriment
of New Mexico if Arizona is forced In
to this Union. There is no danger OF
rebellion of course, as our people are
too good citizens for that, but | want
to say right here, that we feel that
as far as justice is concerned, we
would be within the bounds of our
rights as American citizens If we re-
sisted joint statehood, with arms. Peo
ple are Just about that indignant over
the proposition.
Force Used.
"Supposing ! was to enter a store
and tell the proprietor that he musl
take man designated as a partner
II he replied that he wanted to cenduc,
his own business for himself and in
his own way, and | told him that he
could not do it, wouldn't he be jus
tilted in throwing me out OF the store
and If necessary using force to do it!
That is what this joint statehood meas
ure amounts to, as concerning us
people of Arizona.
Arizona has absolutely no grudge
against New Mexico and doesn't seek
any feeling between the two terri
tories. At the same time she feels
that she is being forced to accept
something that she does not want un
der any conditions. Irrespective ol
party lines, Arizona will fight the prop
osition to the last notch She fought
her wars with the Indians and bad
men alone, she formed her government
such as was allotted to her, alone, she
has built up her territorial institu
1ions, erected her public buildings and
made and enforced her territorial
laws, alone. She has not had mol
asked for the assistance OF New Mexi
co and she doesn't want any assistance
now.
"All Arizona wants is to work Oul
her own salvation in her own way
without undue interference. There is
another reason why 1t is mighty I'm
wise to join these two territories un
der one head and that is the difference
in the personnel of the populations
Arizona has not the large native popu
lation which New Mexico has. I, OF
course, know these people over here
know their language and customs
They are mighty fine people. Howev'
er, the average Arizonian does not
know them and he Is pretty thoroughly
prejudiced against them. 1t would
take years to overcome this prejudice
viii Not Aid.
1.-The native people of New Mexico
have built up institutions of semi
private order, and aid them through
territorial appropriations. Should join
statehood be forced upon us, the Ari
zona people say almost as one mar
that they will not contribute funds fol
the maintenance of these institutions
We have our own ideas of education
penal institutions and other affairs
and we want to maintain them. W.
have a better and handsomer capito
building and better territorial institu
tions than New Mexico or at leas
they seem so to us. We want then
continued.
"Our Arizona people take pride ir
what they have done and they do moi
want to see the years OF labor go ir
the passage Of one bill declaring then
no longer a people but only half Of
another state. Since I have been II
New Mexico, have talked with 8
number of people regarding statehood
and, when told them Arizonas con
tention, they all said that they did no.
blame us for the stand we take. They
realized at once what 1t meant to us
''Now, as regards gambling in the
territories, want to say that we are
able to regulate the evil as quickly al
though statehood was given us. Oul
people are wiping out gambling righ
now. BY local laws, gambling has al
ready been abolished for the past fou
months in Tucson, 1t will be abolished
by the same means during the presen
year in Phoenix. During the next three
wears, Prescott will abolish it. TIL,
license for gambling is SO prohibitivt
at present in Douglas that It does no