Bisbee daily review., 1908-12-30
GOV. kIBBEY OUTLINES
OPPOSITION HE FOOND
AGAINST STATEHOOD
Continued from First Page.)

ment. 1t should not be hastily done |
carelessly done, nor certainly in dis
regard of the better opinion of the PEG |
t1le of the whole nation of which We
wish to De a component part.
The fact, then, that the PRESIDENT
and ultimately congress itself may
have to approve our constitution
would in advance secure our best eff
tort to make the best possible one.
We would be less apt to make mis-
takes If we knew that we might not
secure the approval of our constitu
ton, but better still, If we made radi
cal mistakes they would not be IRE
mediable. i
believing, therefore, that the chic /,
objection to our admission, this fea
of an Objectionable constitution, could
be removed thereby, / have prepared
and after consulting with number OF
people in Washington as well as here
am sending a draft of an enabling act
providing that after We shall have
framed and adopted our constitution
that it shall be subject to the approva
of the president; that if he approx
it, he shall issue his proclamation de-
Claratory of that fact, whereupon we
at once become a state of the union;
that in the event the president refuses
or neglects to act, say within twenty
or thirty days, that the matter be sub
mitted to congress for its action. This
plan will not delay our admission
day before the time prescribed in the
other form of procedure, if our con
stitution should meet with approval
It removes the objection of the fea
that congress now entertains of vi
cious or al imPracticable constitutio
I and affords tr us the greatest incen
tive for care in the formation of GU
state government, and it is the logica
method of procedure. The plan vii
save us f'"n mistakes from which it
! might otherwise take us generation
: to recover.
/ - do not SUPPOSE that the peopl
of Arizona would wish to frame a con
| stitution that would not meet the ap-
prevail OF the best enlightened senti
ment of the representation of the en-.
! tire country. l can myself see no OBJ
! lection to the plan-and it is not a
departure from the precedents, but a
return to the older and more logica
ones.
Il have also in the draft of the bill
that l have prepared, provided for a
constitutional convention of seventy
members. This number l selected be-
cause it will give to every county at
least two delegates to the convention
and yet provide for their apportion-
ment among all the counties in ap-
proXimately the proportion of number
of votes cast by them respectively at
the last general election, and because
it permits, if that can be agreed upon,
the distribution of the delegates fairly
between the two political parties OF
course no such provision would go
into the enabling act, but / think that
one of the best assurances of a goo
constitution would be its preparatio
without regard to political bias or ad
vantage of any party. The two leading
parties in the territory could easily
agree that the candidates for delegate
to the constitutional convention shoul
be divided fairly equally among all the
parties. This would ensure the cleo
ton of delegates without political
contest and would, / think, have a
tendency to the selection of the best
men. Nor do 1 think the number
. seventy, Is too large for rapid and TO
efficient work.
49, "nen tue cOmLA2IbSeS IN tftea sen
ate and in the house take gp the state
hood bills, l expect to be in Washing
ton to be of whatever assistance [
can.
: The hesitancy of congress to act
at once is the fear that / have sug-
| gested, of an i'll considered constitu-
| ton for the new states. believe the
! plan that l have outlined will allay
that fear, and ] see no other way to
avoid 1t completely. Congress wants
. to be assured of an acceptable coasti-
i tuition and this plan insures it,"