Weekly journal-miner., 1910-06-22
STATEHOOD SENTIMENTS.


 Statehood. barring a fOrmality, is reality at last.
 All that remains to make legal the formal admission of Arizona and New Mexieo-the twin Territories and the bright stars of the glorious and ever growing Southwest-is the afixing of the signature of President William H. Taft to the Senate statehood meas ure, which yesterday afternoon was accepted by the House unanimously by viva vOee vote.
 Than William H. Taft, Arizona and New Mexico has no better friend among the prominent states men of the nation. For months Pres ident Taft has labored increasingly for this measure. He has repeatedly summoned to the White House the Senate and House leaders having in charge the admission bill. He has i'm pressed upon them in plain terms his earnest desire that the wishes, the hopes, the aspirations of the sterling eitizenry of the twin Terri tories be realized at the present ses- sion of Congress.
 And the realization has come at last, That is the reason Prescotton- ians are wearing broad smiles this sunny Sabbath morning. That is the reason all. Phoenix made merry .last evening. when four bands rendered inspiring and jubilating music in gladsome chorus with the resounding cheers. of the Capital City residents. That is the reason why Tuesonians, Bisbeeites, Douglasites, .Globeites- all Arizona. in faet-are lihgt-hearted and gladsOme today.
 And well should they be, for the East has learned that Arizona and New Mexico are no longer the home of the blood-thirsty savage, the des- perate bandit, the "wild and woolly" element that has in previous years frightened the tenderfoot,' but that, instead of the lawless element, the twin Territories are populated by sturdy, sober, industrious, law-abid- ing citizens, whose ideals and stand ards are of the highest. They have learned furthermore that no better citizenry is to be found anywhere than that represented by the hardy tillers of the fertile and productive | irrigated acres, and by the brawny men of the pick and drill, who are daily digging from the depths the rich minerals that have made the Territories famous throughout the mining and investing world.
 It is not amiss in passing to recall little past history. It is till fresh in memory-and will long remain that President Taft visited Prescott last fall. It was joyous event for the Queen City to throw open wide her gates to the chief executive of the nation and accord him a welcome such as has never been exeeiled by any city of the same size.
 Tbe President was plainly pleased. He made no effort to conceal his keen delight at the Mile-High -City's hOSpAboiiig' AlC CNCh uAdhh III puDAiC view water from the famed Hassa- yampa-abOve the crossing.
 And in that address Taft was plain-spoken. At one time he waxed somewhat facetiOus. "Even the babies in Arizona cry for statehood" he said, and the hundreds wnO list ened to his plain, candid, masterful speech, laughed merrily.
 And becoming more serious, the President continued: "I cannot guar antee statehood to you people of Prescott nor to the citizens of the two grand and growing Territories of the Southwest. But this much I can promise you, in all candor and frankness-I shall do everything in my power to see that two new stars shall be added to the National em- blem-One to be known as Arizona and the other as New Mexico"
 The deafening applause that greet ed these simple sentences showed most plainly that the residents of Prescott and of Yavapai county, who heard the remarks, believed abso- lutely in the promises of the Presi- dent. Now it has been proven that their faith was not misplaced.
 Furthermore, in the list of those who have worked ably, systematic ally and mot efficiently, the name of