Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-13
ALL FAVOR STATEHOOD
Delegation From Territories of
New Mexico and Arizona.
RoDEY, FORMER DELEGATE
From New Mexico, Talks at Length
on the Subject.
MR.. AINSWORTH's STATEMENT
Says That Joint Statehood Was at
First Opposed, but Majority Of
People Now Favor It.
MR.. AINsWORTH's STATEMENT


| hood for Arizona and New Mexico are
being made by delegation of influential
and hustling citizens of the two territories
| who are here in the interest of the joint
| statehood bill now pending in the Senate.
The representative men who are here IN
c1ude Mr.. c. F. Ainsworth, banker and
| lawyer and former attorney general OF
| Arizona, and former Gov. McCord, while it
| is announced that Mr.. William Herring OF
| Tucson. former attorney general of Ari-
IONA; Col. Bird of Nogales and Mr.. j. l..
Hubbell of northern ARIZONA are en- route
| to Washington.
New Mexico is represented by Mr. B. s.
Rodey, former delegate In Congress from
that territory; Mr. e. V. Chaves, prac-
ticing lawyer Of Albuquerque and demo-
crat; National Committeeman Luna United
States Attorney Llewlyn. H. B. Holt and
Mr. Young. Others are on their way. and
when all the forces are on the ground 1t
is proposed to make "a long pull, a strong
pull and pull all together for statehood
for the two territories.
Mr.. B. s. Rodey, who represented New
Mexico in the Fifty-seventh and Fifty
eighth Congresses, when seen today by
Star reporter used some arguments In favor
of statehood that his friends designate as
''sledge-hammer blows"
New Mexico he began, 'acquiesced in
favor of the pending bill two and a half
years ago. Practically all the people of
the territory are for Its passage. Some
few may not like 1t. but the vast majority
are In favor of it. l am secretary Of the
Joint Statehood League of New Mexico,
and am therefore in touch with the league
in Arizona A majority of the citizens of
Arizona are for 1t. We of New Mexico would
regard the passage of this bill as the grand
est blessing that could befall us. 1t is the
greatest enabling act ever framed. The
state to be formed under its provisions will
be free from both school and state taxes.
The interests that are opposing joint state
hood are not acting In good faith.
Who Now Control the Territories.
1.-THE territories of Arizona and New
Mexico are under the control of office
holders, tax dodgers and special interests,
and they have been enduring thraidom
that is appalling, and, considering the
number of people affected, makes the in
surance scandals look like thirty cents.
Cattlemen generally oppose joint statehood,
or any other sort of statehood. because
they abhor the homesteader and his fam
ily as intruders upon their alleged range
rights on the public domain. They realize
that they have been taking the grass from
the public lands free and converting 1t into
beef free for many years to their own
profit.
'.Sheep men and horse men are to some
extent in the same category. 49,
There Is not q common freight point on
any railroad in either territory There Is
not a line Of law and has not been In
quarter of century OF railroad life there
fixing or controlling freight or passenger
rates, save that in Arizona there is max
cents per ton per mile freight in their law.
An astonishing fact is that in neither ter
ritory there never has been a decision In
either of the supreme courts OF any conSe-
uuence against the railroads.
Congress In years past fixed the tax
rates for some railroads there until 1t is
today worth from One-haif to a million dol
lars year for some OF the railroads to
keep US in a territorial condition. New Mex
leo returns 100000 worth of property
less for taxation now per annum than she
did fifteen or twenty years ago. 1t re
turns DOW $40 000CO0, while in the early
eighties 1t returned $45, 100000 1t could
easily return $3.50, 00o,oO0, as we have adj
mittedly added 50.000,OOO worth of prop
erty to our wealth in the way of railroads,
nliaes, towns, cities and other ways in the
last ten to fifteen years.
= 1.-THE Secretary of the Interior in a recent
report states that at an ordinary valuation
the railroads of New Mexico were worth
$50, 000. 000 They are on the tax roll at
So, SOC, 900. There are tens Of thousands of
acres of coal lands worth from $50 up per
acre. held by syndicates and railroads that
are on the tax rolls as pasture land at
thirty cents per acre.
ARIZONA is treated just about as badly
and is as tightly held down by these spe-
cial interests as is New Mexico. The big
cattle men, who do rot reside in either
territory, but own cattle and control the
ranges. are fighting Joint statehood be-
cause they do not want the great state to
select the school lands out Of the open
range country, because then they would
have to pay rent for the ranges instead
of getting free grass. as they do now.
Opponents Of Statehood.
1.-The opponents of joint statehood lay
great stress on what they call the differ
ence in the people of the two territories.
There is nothing In this objection. In the
first place, New Mexico's citizens, Of Span
ish extraction are good citizens and no
legitimate objection can be raised to them.
and in the next place. more than
Sixty per cent of New Mexico's people
are from the states. In fact, New Mexico
has more people from the states In her
population than Arizona has population all
told. Another objection made is the great
size of the proposed state. There is nothing
in this, as by comparison with Texas, Cali
fornfa. Montana and other states this OBJ
lection has been completely refuted
THE mine owners are against Joint state
hood because under state government
they would have to pay bullion tax. They
are taking out of Arizona now bullion prac-
tically to the value of $46,0oOOO0 annually,
which is equal to nearly the entire value OF
the territorial tax return, and are not pay
Ing a cent of tax on 1T Their influence
keeps the legislature, which Is small body
one house having but twelve members, from
so for years. Arizona has easily 500 600 900
worth OF property. If all of the property
both territories possess was returned for
taxation tt would make about $700. 900 600
and the state could limit taxes to one-half
of / per cent, which would raise nearly
s., 600, or nearly twice what would be
necessary to sustain the state government
because there would never be any school
taxes In the new state. as the rental and
sales OF the lands and the interest on the
money donated to u.s. together with few
licenses and fines thrown In, will sustain
the entire educational system of the state
without any taxes whatever. 1t would be
the lowest taxed state in the Union.
II have made a life work of this fight for
statehood for these territories, and have
examined the question closely. am posi-
lively of the opinion that 1t Is q crime
against the progress and the people Of the
two territories to attempt to defeat the
splendid bill now before the Senate. We
are grateful to President Roosevelt for
recommending 1t in his message, and there
is not an argument against It that IL ten
able. All are based either upon prejudice,
sentiment or mistake OF fact.
MT. Ainsworth's Statement.
Mr.. C. r. Ainsworth, former attorney