The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1906-10-11
An Honest Count Promised by Gov
ernOF Kibbey.

Office eff the Governor.
PHOENIX, Ariz October g 1906
Hon. Thomas +. Wilson,
President Joint Statehood League, Tucson,
Arizona.
Dear Sir: l find upon my return
from a visit out of the territory d
letter awaiting me from the presi-
dent, of which the following is a
copy:
OYSTER BAY, N. Y, Sept. 90 1906.
"My Dear Governor Kibbey: l am
sorry to say grave charges have been
made to me that under the organiza-
ton of which you are the active
| leader there will not be fair count
of the votes on the question of state
hood. If these charges were well
founded need not say to you that it
would be d national disaster, have
no doubt there is no truth in them
but some prominent people in the
United States do believe them, and
they are joined in this belief by some
of the most prominent people of
Arizona and New Mexico. There
fore to avoid all criticism, | direct
that if you can in any way arrange
| it, you have representatives of the
statehood people present at the cam
wasting of the votes on statehood.
[ have sent a copy of this letter to
Governor Hagerman and directed
him to make the same arrangement
that is, have representatives from
both the statehood and the anti
statehood parties present to witness
! the count of the votes.
Sincerely yours,
| THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
"Hon. Joseph H. Kibbey,
Governor of Arizona,
'Phoenix, Arizona
have of course assured the presi-
dent that 1 shall do all that l can do
to have representatives of the state
hood people present at the canvass
OF the votes on statehood.
In order to do this [ must have the
cooperation of your association.
need hardly advise you of the pro-
visions of our law designed to secure
a free, untrammeled vote of the
people on any question, and particu-
larly the safeguards to secure d fair
count, nor need l remind you how
efficacious our system has been since
its adoption in 1891. Since the adop-
ton, fifteen years ago, of our pres
ent system of conducting elections,
and during which time many cleo
tions have been bitterly contested,
1 think 1 can confidently say there
has meyer been an instant of viii
fully unfair count of the ballots.
Such a thing is practically impossi-
BILE under our law.
This speaks well enough for the eff
ficacy of our system. But in order
that any suspicion as to the fairness
of the count on the question of
statehood may be avoided, I am
anxious that there shall be at every
polling place in the territory, if
possible, a representative of those
favoring the statehood described on
the ballots-that is, the union of
Arizona and New Mexico as one
state-who may see every ballot cast,
see that it is counted, and counted to
express the intention of the voter
who cast it and see that the result at
the poll is properly certified.
The designation of such persons
will, l assume, necessarily rest with
your organizat ton.
I shall address a note by this mail
to the boards of supervisors of the
several counties of the territory, en-
closing copies of this letter for their
information, and make the recon-
menda ton, which I have no doubt
will be cheerfully complied with,
that they direct every election board
at the election of November +, 1906,