Arizona republican., 1910-07-14
Playing With Fire.

for the submission separately of spe- cial clauses of the constitution affords an opportunity for playing politics of the vote catching order. That is to say, it is believed that while it would be dangerous to include this or that ism" in the constitution it. self, it will be entirely safe for the convention to adopt and submit to the people any advanced" proposi- tion for which there appears to be any demand. It is believed that even the adoption of such separate pro- visions would not endanger statehood, the erroneous idea having gained cur rency that the president and congress can reject the separate provisions while approving the main document. This idea is popular with gentlemen who are not bothered by any fixed conviction except the conviction that it is all right to advocate anything in order to catch votes.
 It should be well understood, how ever. that our proposed constitution. including any separate provisions adopted, will be submitted to the president and congress as whole, and will be approved or rejected as a whole. The enabling act does not provide that the president and con- gress may approve the main docu- ment and reject a separate provision, and thus admit the territory. If the main document is unobjectionable and some separate provision is objection able. and there is disapproval, such disapproval will apply to the consti- tuition as a whole, and statehood will be defeated. The language of the law, which is found in Section 22, admits of no other construction:
 That when said constitution and such provisions thereof as have been separately submitted shall have been duly ratified by the people of Arizona, as aforesaid. a certified copy of the same shall be submitted to the presi- dent of the United States and to con- gress for approval, together with the statement of the votes cast thereon and upon any provisions thereof which were separately submitted to and voted upon by the people. And if congress and the president approve said constitution and the said sepa- rate provisions thereof. if any, or if the president approves the same and congress fails to disapprove the same during the next regular session there of, then and in that event the presi- dent shall certify said facts to the governor of Arizona, who shall, within thirtysadays after the receipt of said notification from the president of the United States, issue his proclama- tion for the election of the state and county officers, the members of the state legislature, and representative in congress, and all other officers pro- vided for in said constitution, all as hereinafter provided; said election to take place not earlier than sixty days nor later than ninety days after said proclamation by the governor of Ari- zona ordering the same"
 The Hon Mark Smith. leader of the Arizona democracy. and for twenty years our delegate in congress, has already warned the people that the provision in the-enabling act for sub president and to congress for approval is not a piece of idle legislation-that nothing is more certain than the re- jection of the constitution by them and with it, of course, the defeat of statehood-if the constitution framed and adopted here contains provisions which cannot be approved at Wash ington. The time has gone by for talking theories and finding fault with the proposition of censorship at Washington-a condition confronts Arizona, and it must be faced.
 It cannot be too clearly understood that the provision in the enabling act for submission of separate provisions to the people of Arizona by the con- stitutional convention was merely to give the people chance to decide on questions about which the delegates to the convention might not be of one mind-it was not for the purpose of putting up to Washington the job of selecting and saying what should go in and what should remain out of the constitution. The constitution, with its separate provisions. if any. will be submitted to Washington as one document, to be there approved or rejected.
 And if professional politicians have the slightest idea that the examina- ton of the constitution at Washing ton will be perfunctorily done. and that statehood will not be put iRl peril by the adoption of extreme mo- tions in constitution making, Arizona will have to pay the penalty.