Bisbee daily review., 1908-11-21
STATEHOOD
sENTIM EMIT.

taken from the Bisbee Evening Miner
which was published under the head
OF mo Place for Sentiment
In the coming fight to obtain state
hood for Arizona, all sentiment other
than that required to secure the pass
| age OF the enabling act must be kept
| in the background. The letter recent
ly issued by Delegate Mark Smith was
nothing more or less than an attempt
to create sympathy for the present
delegate and the editorial In this
mornings democratic paper clearly
shows it,
MARK Smith is no longer a factor
in Arizona and despite the fact that
he will be the nominal representative
of the territory in the coming short
session of congress. he will probably
have but little TO do with the intro
duetion and passage of the enabling
act AS a matter of fact the less l.lat
| Mr.. Smith has to do with the state
hood movement, the better viii be the
results obtained for Arizona as &C
lcording to his own statement he is
persona non grata with the leading
influences In congress and Ariozna's
best interests may be jeopardized by
too much activity on HIS part.
"Arizona's interests Will be well and
iably looked after bv Delegate-elect
Ralph Cameron, Governor Kibbey ana
other Arizonans who viii attend lhe
coming session of congress and who
win be backed by the vast influence
of President Roosevelt"
From the reading of the above it
would have been better If the Miner
had headed its article like this: "only
Republican Sentiment VIII Be Allow
ed to Enter Into Future Consideration
of Statehood for A rzona." The letter
written by Hon. Mark Smith as an
open one to the people OF Arizona was
manly one and there was not SEN
tence which could be construed as a
desire to obtain political advantage in
I the effort which he will make in con-
gress to have the Arizona statehood
bill passed during the remaining SEES
sion of the sixtieth congress. Mr..
Smith called attention to the fact that
in washington du,ing the effort to
pass the statehood bill would not be
the time or place to play politics, but
the Miner would have all people be
lieye that Mark Smith is no longer a
factor in Washington or in Arizona.
Such slurs coming from any paper in
this territory are uncGlled for and are
beasly attempt to play politics at
time when the very life of the ter
ritory Is at stake.
The republicans, or rather the Bis
bee Miner, would seem to be build
ing on the theory that Arizona has
nov, henceforth aud forever been
placed under the special keeping and
care of the republican party and not
wfthstanding the fact that that party
has kept Arizona out of the union for
years. it was qualified for the honor
and responsibility :. is now going to
keep its promise made solemnly eight
years ago and admit the territory as a
state and be given all the credit and
glory of bringing Arizona into the
union.
Cerainly the Miner is forgetting the
attempt OF the republican leaders,
Roosevelt included, to join Arizona
with New Mexico in joint statehood.
If the Miner has forgotten this dam
nabIe effort the people of Arizona
have not The MINER says that Gov
ernor Kibbey and Delegate-elect Cam
eron will prepare and pass the joint
statehood bill this winter. This re-
minds us that when the people of Ari-
IONA, regardless OF politics, were max
ing the fight in Washington against
Joint statehood neither Kibbey or
Cameron put in an appearance at the
national capital to give assistance to
the work made by those who went
there from Arizona to save Arizona
for the people Who have developed 1t
and prepared 1t for the boon of self
government.
The narrow spirit exhibited in the
above extract from the Miner is the
same spirit that has actuated the re-
publican party always in its attitude
towards Arizona That party has for
{ years refused to giant justice to Ari-
IONA in the matter OF statehood until
the people Of the territory would vote
the republican ticket This spirit of
the Miner is just Ahat this paper pre-
dicted that it would be during the
campaign; that after the election the
democrats who voted the republican
ticket or for republican candidates
would be given the cold shake and not
be allowed even a look in when the