Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-10-13
ITS BUT A DREAM.
Joint Statehood for the Territories Of
 New Mexico and Arizona,

| Washington, D. c. Oct 13.-Joint statehood for the territories of Ari-
 zona and New Mexico now appears to be an irridescent dream. A
 careful canvass of the situation in-
 dicates that there are hardly enough "jointers" in Arizona to make 1t
 worth while to count them and the sentiment for joint statehood in New
 Mexico is not strong enough to stand
 alone. Even the influence of Presi- dent Roosevelt is not sufficient to
 arouse more than passive interest in the proposition in either territory and, according to the best informa-
 tion obtainable here, 1t will die of inanition.
 The president was, and is, deeply
 concerned in the project of one state +of the two territories. Realizing
 the drift of sentiment against the
 proffer made by congress, he suggest
 ed that it might be well to have
 several able speakers visit the ter
 ritories to try to induce the people
 to vote in support of the joint state-
 hood proposition. That plan was
 discussed, but it has been abandoned,
 because inquiry developed the cu-
 rious fact that no organization ex-
 isted in either territory under whose
 auspices the speakers could appear.
 Naturally, the speakers could not just walk into the two territories and insist upon being heard with out laying themselves open to the charge of putting in" where they were not wanted. It is proposed, therefore, to let the people of the ! territories determine the question 1 without any outside assistance. The ! indications are that they will de-d termine 1t in the negative by very l decisive majority.
 Before the passage of the enabl-a ing act by congress, 1t was stated l here that neither Arizona nor New ! Mexico desired statehood if theyt had to be joined. There were other I reasons of very potential nature, / but that was the excuse put forward. {, As matter of concrete fact, there 1 are many people of wealth and in- ;
 huCHNG III tuc I"o tCC W uO object to either joint, or single, i statehood, because they believe--and with excellent reason--that they. personally, will be better off under a territorial government than under {, a state government. Those people cut big figure in the territories. particularly in New Mexico One rel suit of their work was that the ter- ritorial convention of both the re- publican and democratic parties de- nounced the act passed by congress. This left 1t without political ieg to stand on and absolutely without or- ganized support of any kind.
 In Arizona the situation is just as bad. Recently. President Roosevelt wrote to Governor Kibbey suggest- ing that he undertake to see to 1t that friends of joint statehood be( afforded opportunity to watch a: thc1 polls on election day. Letters rel ceived here intimate that nJ cb. stacles will be offered to this plan. but it is said dificulty will he ex-i perienced by the territorial auth ri- ties in finding a sufficient number ot men who will be willing to act as joint statehood watchers. In fact. 1t is declared seriously that there are scarcely as many enthusiastic friends of joint statehood in Arizona as there are polling places.
 No effort will be made. 1t is said. to corrupt the vote. That. in the would be entirely un-i necessary If fs aeserted with p0af-i tiveness that the statehood proposi- ton will be defeated. notwithstand-l Ing the realization of the fact, that the rejection of the enabling act will mean that the two territories will have to remain as they are for many years It is regarded as prob-j able that both Arizona and New Mexico will again seek admission aej the hands of the next congress to single statehood. but it is reason- able certainty that they will be pod litely but firmly refused.