The Colorado statesman., 1907-04-06
JOINT STATEHOOD
ARIZONA DISPATCH SAYS ISSUE
WILL BE FORCED.
NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA
Will be Elected at Large Re-
uardless of Location.


Inasmuch as the people in general in
New Mexico. are deeply interested in
the prospective statehood, the follow
ing dispatch from Phoenix, Arizona,
which appeared in the Eel Paso Herald
will be read with interest, although it
may possibly be colored by prejudice
or preference in some respect. The
dispatch says:
'Will General Thomas Wilson sue
ceed Governor Kibbey, will it be Col
onel Sturges, or will it be either of
them? Politicians in all parts of Ari-
zona, who want to be close to the
throne, no matter who sits in the
chair, are trying to solve these puz-
Zles.
"Sturges has the backing of large
Arizona following, but William Loeb,
private secretary to President Roose7
welt, is said to have decided that Stur-
ges will not do, and that Sitting Bull"
Wilson must have the place.
Three dates are fixed for the time
Governor Kibbey's resignation will go
into effect One of them is the i'm
cember when Congress meets again,
and the other is when Governor Kib-
hey gets good and ready.
Joint statehood leaders claim that
not only Governor Kibbey is to be sue
ceeded, but that Governor Hagerman
of New Mexico will go. Jointists look
upon General Wilson as Kibbey's sue
cessor, further believing that an Ohio
man will take Hagerman's seat.
Two wings of the Republican party
in Arizona, each of which is separated
from the other by the impossible guilt
of joint statehood, are both figuring
Governor Kibbey back to private life
and the practice of the law.
"Jointists say Wilson will get the
plum, and the anti-jointists that Stur-
ges is the man for the place. Both
claim to have received assurances di
rect from Washington, d. c., to the
effect that just what will be done has
been settled.
"Jointists are admitting that the
change in governors is part of a well
directed plan to join Arizona and New
Mexico as one state in spite of the fact
that the combined vote of the two ter
ritories last November was against
the proposition by strong majority.
with Wilson in the saddle in Ari-
zona and an Ohio man in charge in
New Mexico the wishes of the people
in the matter of joint statehood would
be disregarded, they say. The first
step will be to oust all territorial Off
cials who are against iointure and
build up a machine of jointists.
"The new governors will get to-
gether and appoint delegates to con-
stitutional convention. The majority
of them are to be jointists, with just
enough opposite view to prevent the
affair being farce. They will pre-
pare a joint state constitution for the
two territories and present this to
Congress when it meets next Decem-
ber.
Senator Beveridge of Indiana, will
take charge of the measure in the Sen
ate and Speaker Cannon in the House.
Jointists claim that Senator Foraker's
opposition will be small compared to
his past efforts, through which Arizona
escaped being at the present time a
part of New Mexico.
"In the new joint statehood bill the
joint state is to receive a gift of $10,-
100000, twice as much as was previ-
ously promised. OF this large amount
$5, 100000 is to go to the schools as
originally intended, and like amount
to the payment of county and terri
torial debts.
Instead of making two congressional
districts of the new state, which would
mean a member in the House of Repre-
sentatives for Arizona and another
from New Mexico, insuring that at
least one of them would be Democratic,
the two representatives are to be
elected at large, making both Republi-
can and probably both from New Mex
ico"