New-York tribune., 1909-10-14
TAFT FOR STATEHOOD
ARIZONA CHEERS HIM.
He Calls OkIahoma's Constitution a
geological Garden of Cranks.

Prescott Ariz Oct 13-President Taft won a
warm welcome in Arizona to-day by declaring
wherever he went that he was heartily in favor OF
separate statehood for Arizona and New Mexico
When the toyousness that greeted this Statement
had died away Mr.. Taft had some sober words ror
his audiences IN which he sought 70 impress Oh
them the necessity for deliberation IN frarnlns
state constitution He declared that their con-
stituton should follow the simplicity Of the Con
stttuton Of the United States. and should be merely
fundamental law, with simple rules OF limitation
He urged the people Of Arizona 10 profit by what
he termed the mistakes Of Oklahoma in constitution
making He characterized the Oklahoma eonstru
ton as geological garden OF cranks.
TRAIN CROSSES DESERT
The Presidents train was whirled along AT break
neck speed to-day through scorching desert wastes
Of sagebrush and cactus At times the alkan stirred
up by the rushing cars filtered in = cloud through
ventilating screens and closed windows and was
almost stihing The sky was cloudless and the sun
shone with torrid intensity. Throughout the day
the horizon was lined with the jagged. rusty peaks
Of sun-banked mountains. shrouded in azure haze
Occasionally however, the train rushed through
little garden spot Of fruit and flowers where irrtsa-
ton had worked wonders. Altogether the President
had typical glimpse Of the far Southwest
At Phoenix and Prescott, where he made his prir-
cipal stops and at intermediate station. where
he appeared for minute or two on the rear plat
form Of his car. he crested oy the Cosmopolitan
people Of the territory. The anachronis Of Indians
in their primitive blanket WIepplHss sI@no-Is -
group Of high power automobiles became common
before the day ended.
The territorial officials. headed by Governor Sloan
met the Presidents train az Yuma before day
light, and will continue with him until AFTER his
visit to the Grand Canyon tomorrow Postmaster
General Hitchcock joined the party to-day With
him was Victor L. Mason. who had charge Of Re-
publican national headquarters in New York IN
the campaign Of last year
PROMISE OF STATEHOOD.
IN his principal speech delivered at Phenix.
President Taft said:
1t is a new sensation for me 70 talk 70 the
people Of q territory. and l may say thus far II
Is Iste von on having such territory such energy
and such enterprise as have called forth from the
ghood aPd Pdi IN orders ss 70 eabs6 oI y
with you early I want TO say that so lar as am
10 postpone the marriage and everything else in a
novel to the end but always have the habit OF
looking through to see whether It ends all right
the ladies before me geneTally follow that course
Now. gentlemeT and ladiesaf1r o l,,i don't know
and 1 speak. therefore. with due consideration
TO snow What you can 90 as an Inue
ernment. and am afraid you are anticipating the
5eTefogTe n after hav9S made this announcement
1 point out some of the difficulties that YOU are
going to have, you will excuse me-
the Congress says you shall come in, and 1 want
70 say a word about that constitution In saying
so give you an earnest knoWledge OF the serious
ness with which l say that believe you viii be
made a state. constitution is for the purpose OF
laving down fundamental limitations upon your
Legislature and your Executive Now, II you think
that that constitutional convention you ought 70
Law down all the limitations that are ordinarily
included in the statute, you are going 10 make q
great mistake
ADVICE ON CONSTITUTION MAKING.
The greatest Constitution that made is
the Constitution of the United States, and you
can go through that in very short time. You
take the last Constitution that made-ths
Constitution of OklahOma-and It Il a geological
garden Of cranks- don't mean TO say that II
has good ideas in IL; IL has But the idea of
tying down legislature which Is an experiment.
so TO speak. with the laws that to be adopted
TO new territory. with long discourse imposing
all sorts Of limitations, IS mistake which YOU
ought pIoht by
Your assumption Of statehood throws upon YOU a
respOns bility that will enable YOU thereafter
to charge IL all 10 the federal government When
YOU get into difficulty out here and nave bad Ofi-
Cials or your legislature gets YOU into il in a
county city, you cannot say it is all at Wash
ington because Washington does not understand IL
Then the fault will be head
I have doubt you will stumble and fall
other people and other states have stumbled and
fallen but you Americans, you come of
that used to self government. used tO
pTodting by them And II by a caution
strain the desire of those most progressive II :
may use that expression. OF most full of the idea
OF having HnitatCns on government; u can re-
strain them from making the constitution other
than a fundamental law with simple rules OF
tatons IL I halt and induce the people OF this
state take time to deliberate over that instrv-
ment that Is to follow them long in the history
of their state and its growth and development, 7
shall not have let this morning 20 without its
profit.
The Presidents train left Prescott for the Grand
Canyon at p. N.