Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-12
ARIZONA STATEHOOD

TINE Arizona statehood inciden
ought to serve President Roose
II welt and his close advisers with ;
lasting lesson. For purely politica
reasons, none of which rises above par
tisan expediency, and in all of which
the wishes of the people were ignored
the administration, by all means in IT.
power, sought to coerce the people o
Arizona into union with New Mex
leo, to the end that Republican domi
nance might be assured and two Re.
publican senators and three Republi.
can congressman be returned to the
next congress.
In this case the "big stick" failed
niserably to intimidate the loyal peo.
pie Of Arizona, and now they are tc
be worked into conceding theil
rights by new shuttle of the admin
istration pack. IT is proposed to add
Arizona to NEVADA strong Repub-
lican state-and thus insure against
the possibility of Arizona statehood in
case the next elections should show q
Democratic majority in congress. OF
course such plan is sprung solely to
punish the refractory Arizonians, and,
incidentally, to double cross them
politically.
The provisions of the constitution on
statehood make is possible for the con-
gress to cede territory to an existing
state, and upon this slim pretext the
game may be attempted; but the con-
spirators will be made to know that
the constitution also provides that no
state can be created without the con-
sent of the people who form it.
California established her state gov
eminent, and when it was fully organ
iced and working she sought and OBJ
tanned admission. 1t would be the right
thing to copy in Arizona. Let the peo-
pie there organize as state, and pro-
coed as a state; elect legislature and
do all and several the legal things a
state may do, and then it will be i'm
possible for the conspirators to steal
her privileges, as the constitution ex-
clusively prohibits the formation of
any state by the joining of two or
more states or parts of states. with
out the consent of the legislatures
concerned.
1t is as certain as death and taxes
are that a Republican congress will
not admit Democratic Arizona, but 1t
is not at all certain that congress will
be Republican, and if organized as
state could not use Arizona as po-
litical shuttlecock if 1t were.
OF all important rights reserved to
the people the right of statehood Is the
most sacred, and the turpitude of the
administration game is measured by
that fact. That partisan congress
under the lash of a designing admins
tration could be made to interpret that
clause of the constitution which pro-
vides. Congress shall have power to
dispose of and make all needful rules
and regulations respecting territory
belonging to the United States" to
mean it could take away the inalien-
able rights of a people on a clear pre-
text, and for political reasons purely
partisan, and tie them in statehood
with another people against their
wishes is proof of moral and political
turpitude, and should put the people
of Arizona on their metal to foil any
such tricky proposition.
The glorious record of the struggles
of the grand men who gave name and
fame to Arizona cries out against such
political robbery, and warrants eternal
vigilance, to the end that it shall not
be consummated.