Arizona republican., 1906-07-15
JUDGE KENT
 HOME AGAIN
Talks Freely of His Inter- view With the President
ReaffiTms Opposition to
 JOinture--FederaI Office z Holders Not to be COerced

Chief Justice Kent returned home yesterday morning after an absence of
 month. He had planned to spend the
 summer in the east. but the passage of
 the statehood bill made his return at
 this time necessary, that he might, as | directed by the bill, participate in the apportionment of the delegates to the
 constitutional convention. He there
 fore hurried his eastern engagements,
 though he spent some time in each
 Maine, Massachusetts, New York and
 Washington, D. C. Among the most pleasant weeks of his outing was that spent in Boston during the commence nent at Harvard, from which univers- ity he is a graduate.
 Judge Kent said yesterday that it is
 not at all likely he will return east again this summer. He was pleased to note that sprinkIing had been resumed and the city is now more habitab. e. The weather, too, is not as oppressive as he feared 1t might be, unless one gets too much of it all at once. He said his plans now are to stay here a week or ten days, or longer, then go to Prescott for a short time and after that he will perhaps go to the coast
 
 The most natural thing in the world was to interrogate Judge Kent concern | ing the statehood question and particu- 1 larly regarding his visit with the presi- | dent, wherein that subject would most | like.y be referred to. He replied that | he was called to Washington with Gov eTnor Kibbey for a conference with the | president concerning Arizona affairs generally and statehood of course was one of the subjects discussed.
 T am still opposed to jointure, for | do not believe it would be a good thing ! for Arizona, and I have not changed | my views in any way on this matter | since leaving the territory said Judge Kent, but the president is very decid- | edly in favor of jointure and 1 believe | he is firmly and honestly convinced | that it will be for the welfare of the l people of the two territories to accept it" However, Judge Kent said he de | sired it to be stated as strongly as Ian guage could put it, that the president made no effort to cOerce any federal appOintee in the acceptance of his views, nor would he Knowingly permit any federal appOintee to coerce the voters of the territory, through the in fluence of his office, into favoring either side of the jointure question. The president believes just as all hon. est men believe, that it is a subject on
 which the individual voter should have
 the fullest and freest right to express ] himself. And that applies to the office
 holder as we'll Arizona is for Ari- zonians and whether a man be a pri- vate citizen or the holder Of a federal office, the president has no desire to curtail his liberty of free speech. free action and his own free will at the h9 Ilnf hnv The nfffca faI
 as he likes and vote as he likes but he must not undertake to exert an influ- ence on the question through the influ- ence of his office. Judge Kent said his l sentiments concerning his interview with the president had been well ex- ] pressed in the report of it as given i publicity by Governor Kibbey.
 The sentiment of the administration and that of the president is that the time is near at hand when there should be no more territories within the con- tinental boundaries of the country. The sooner they can be nodded into states, | leaving no territorial governments, ex- ] cept the insular possessions, the sooner Fmay be enacted a uniform set of laws i that will govern and control in all re- maining territories. Such a policy is not now practicable for laws that are
 now necessary in some of the far-away l islands would be manifestly unjust to Arizona, and vice versa.
 The president is very much interested
 m the welfare of Arizona and New Mexico and has many warm personal | friends in both territories. He sin cerely believes in the wisdom of joint ure, but he is also firm in his doctrine that if the people of these territories really do not want it. it is a choice
 that should be respected.