Weekly journal-miner., 1909-12-29
MOE INFORMATION ANENT
 HAMILTON MEASURE.

The Phoenix Republican has the following interesting and eomprehen- sive review of the Hamilton state hood bill:
 The Hamilton statehood bill, which no doubt will pass the House of Rep resentatives very shortly, seems to be quite satisfactory in it's terms to the people of the territory. We have heard of objection from nobody. The bill in fact follows so closely the language of the various bills which have been reported in congress here tofOre that it contains few features that are new; hence there has been no occasion for objection. And in truth the people are far more inter ested in the apparent certainty of statehood itself than they are in the terms of the enabling act.
 The one important departure in the pending bill from former measures is the provision for an election on the constitution separately from the elee- tion of state officers. The people are to say first whether the product of the constitutional convention suits them, and if they approve the eonsti- tuition, the election of state officers will follow thereafter.
 Assuming that the bill will become a law before midsummer, Arizona will become a state about Christmas of next year.
 The election for ratification or re- jection of the constitution will be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November next-No- vember s, 1910. On the third Mon day after the election November 2S, 1910,) the governor, the chief justice, and the secretary of the interior will meet as a eanvassing board and can vass the returns of the constitutional election. Upon finding that a ma iority of the legal votes cast were for the constitution, the canvassing board will certify the fact to the President of the United States. The eanvassing should be completed in one day, of course, and on the 2Sth of November the certificate will be forwarded to Washington. The presi- dent should receive it December 5. Within twenty days after the receipt of the papers from the eanvassing board the president, if he finds that the provisions of the enabling act have been complied with, must "issue his proclamation announcing the re- suit of the proceedings by this act, and thereupon the proposed state of Arizona shall be deemed admitted by congress into the union under and by virtue of this act on an equal footing with the original states" The twenty days would be up on Christ mas.
 Under the provisions of the bill it will, however, be a state without elected state officers and without United States senators. These come a short time later That is, the con convention itself must pro- vide for "an election of officers for a full state government, including governor, members of the legislature, one representative in congress, and such county and other officers" as the constitution may prescribe, to be held not less than ninety nor more days one hundred and twenty days after the election for ratification or rejection of the constitution. If the state election be held ninety days after November 8, 1910, it will be on the nearest Tuesday after February s, 1911, presumably. In the interim between the constitutional election of next November and the state election in February, the territorial officers and the delegates to congress will con- tinue to serve.
 The bill seems to be silent as to whether the present county officers will hold over. It may become neees- sary to legally eonstrue the meaning of territorial" officers. In the Ian guage of the bill, "until said state is SO admitted into the union and said offieers'' (governor, congressman, and state Ofieers) "are elect ed and qualified under the provisions of the constitution, the territorial of- feers of said territory, including del sgate to congress, elected at the gem aral election in 1908, shall continue to discharge the duties of their re- speetive offices in said territory"
 At any rate, if there be any am- Diguity in the bill it can be cured
 oforo fro1 roSSoua. and if if iS