Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1906-02-07
Deputy Collector Floyd Gibbons Expresses
 His Views
Injustice is Enough To Provoke Resistance
 By Arms

Ninety eight per cent of the peo. pie of Arizona will vote against joint statehood if given the opportunity. Sixty per cent of them arc opposed Co rny statehood measure"
 | This statement was made last night by Floyd ]. Gibbons, deputy internal revenue collector, stationed at Phoenix, Arizona, who is in Santa Fe this week attending to official business. Although Mir. Gibbons holds n public office. he is not afraid to express his views and Co do so in no uncertain language, says the Santa Fe New Mexican. | Continuing he said:
 "It will certainly be to the det rimcnt 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 I want to say right here, that we feel that as far ns justice is concerned. we would be within the bounds of our rights as American citizens if we resisted joint statehood with arms People are just about that indignant over the propo. sltion.
 Force Used.
 "Supposing I was to enter n store, and tell the proprietor that he must take man designated as n partner. IT he replied that he wanted to conduct his own business for himself and in his own way, and told him that he could not do it, wouldn't he be justified In throwing me ont of the store and if ne. cessary using force to do iti That is what this joint statehood measure amounts to ns concerning us people of Arizona.
 "Arizona has absolutely no grudg- 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 some. thing that she does not want unde. any conditions. Irrespective of party lines, Arizona will fight the proposi. tion 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 institutions, CT. ected her public buildings, and made and enforced her territorial laws, alone. She has not had nor asked for the as- si.tancc of New Mexico, and she does. nt want any assistance now.
 "All Arizona wants ia 10 work on, her own salvation in her own way without undue interference. There is another rcnson why it is mighty un. 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. However. the average Arizonan does not know them. and he is pretty thoroughly prcjudiced against them. Tt would take years to overcome this prejudice.
 Will Not Aid.
 "The native people of New Mexico have built up institutions of n semi. private order, and aid them through territorial appropriations. Should joint statehood be forced upon us. the Arizona people say almost as one man that they will not contribute funds for the maintenance of these institutions We have our own ideas of education. penal institutions and other affairs. snd we want to maintain them. We have a better and handsomer capitol building and better territorial institu. tions than New Mexico or at least they seem so to us We want them con. tinucd.
 "Our Arissna people take pride in what they have done and they do not