Arizona republican., 1910-12-08
PHoENIX. ARIZONA, DEC. s. 1910.
Arizona Remains a Territory.

Had there been any remaining doubt as to the fatecpf statehood as related to the sitting constitutional convention, that doubt was removed yesterday when the convention caused to be finally imbedded in the consti- tuition the recalr' in all its vicious ness.
 The clause adopted yesterday is there to stay. as it cannot be changed under the rules except by an affirma- tive two thirds vote, and of course it is utterly impossible to get two thirds of the convention to leave "the recall" out of the constitution.
 There was, to be sure. little doubt of statehood's fate in any event. The adoption of the initiative and referen- dunn principle. with no restrictions thereon, and sundry other radical fea- lures of the constitution, had prac- tically assured the defeat of Arizona s application at Washington. But the recall" indubitably do settle it" Had the convention confined itself to the authorization of the referendum in certain cases, there would have bcen no objection in the territory, and. we are confident, no objection in Wash ington. for MT Taft has hitherto made it clear that he approves certain fea- lures of the referendum-as we made clear in the late campaign. The con- vention has chosen to "go the whole hog" in radicalism, however. It has provided for the initiative" on such a basis that the representative form of government. including the consti- tuition itself, is set aside, and it has provided for the utilization of the recaIT' in a manner that not even oregon has dared to sanction. ore gon. at least, protects the judiciary from the evils of the recall"
 Statehood in the immediate future can be made possible only by voting down the constitution which this con vention has framed, and at this time such action by the people does not seem probable. Under the terms of the enabling act the rejection of the constitution by the people of Arizona would give the territory one more chance Another constitutional con- vention would have to be held-a convention made up of the same dele gates as in this convention, however and were the second constitution to be free from objectionable features from the Washington viewpoint, and, having been ratified by the people. the admission of the territory would immediately follow.
 But that way out of the difficulty is not encouraging. in view of the manifest radicalism voiced in the con- vention. There seems little probabil- ity that even an adverse vote by the people would lead the delegates to be more thoughtful and conservative. And. as already suggested, the wave of radicaiism which swept over the territory two months ago has not ap- parently subsided sufficiently to war rant expectation that the constitution as now framed will fail of ratifica- tion
 Hence. taking the most optimistic view of the situation possible. the conclusion is inevitable that the ad- mission of Arizona into the Union has been delayed indefinitely. And, strangely enough, having defi- nitely defeated statehood and so de- stroyed it's own usefulness, the con- vention still goes about its work with all the earnestness and solemnity of child building mud pies. So far as the public is concerned. any further interest that it may take in the pro ceedings of the convention will be from mild and disinterested curiosity in observing the obviously useless work of earnest men.