Graham guardian., 1910-01-14

reals and delicious fruits can be
gathered anywhere from the At
lantic to the Pacific. Their fruits
range from the luxurious raisin
grape, which cures in the sun, to
the hardy apple of the Northern
States. Their sickles NOW their
blossoming meadows five times in as
many months and bring in eight
tons of hay per acre in a single sea-
son, which is a thing unknown in
Illinois, Iowa, Indiana or Ohio.
They are essentially law-abiding,
and had inquiry not been made, l
would not feel called upon to assure
you that plural marriages nowhere
exist among them. They are most
worthy citizens.
STATEHOOD
A non-partisan, representative
convention composed Of delegates
elected from every county in the
Territory, selected on the basis Of
population, and composed of our
best people, was held in Phoenix,
the capital Of Arizona, on the 9th
and 28th Of November, to advance
the cause Of statehood. As one of
the delegates sent to you from that
convention, l now present to you
the memorial and resolutions then
adopted and addressed to this Con-
gress. respectfully ask an atten-
tive, careful consideration of the
same, trusting that, having heard
us for our cause" the appeal of
Arizona will not have been made in
vain.
No SELF-GovERNMENT In ARIZONA
Our worthy Delegate to Congress
has presented many facts in behalf
of our admission, and, as he will
appear before this committee here
after, feel that | need not prolong
this argument.
In conclusion, we beg to impress
upon you the important fact that
the simple right to govern our
selves as q State is what Arizona
asks, nothing more. Why should
our local laws be subject to the ap-
proval and executive will, our Ter
ritorial taxes be levied and expend-
ed, and our people governed, all
under the direction and supervision
of Department Agent, holding his
commission, not from our intelli-
gent, iberty-loving people, but from
an appointing power three thousand
miles distant? These are consider
atoms which appeal to the judg-
ment. Our simple request is that
our people who pay our taxes and
bear the burden of Territorial gov
ernment shall have a potent voice
in the levy, collection and disburse-
ment OF our Territorial taxes, that
our executive and administrative
officers be selected by the voice of
our people and be fully answerable
to our people for their official con-
duct. Statehood will give US this.
A worthy stranger then coming in
our midst will not feel that he is
surrendering those privileges which
he has enjoyed during long years of
residence in Eastern States. Capt.
tai will possess a feeling of security
in knowing that its owner has a
voice in the selection of the taxing
and disbursing officers.
Statehood will instantly invite ad-
ditional enterprise, capital in abund-
ance and. greater numbers of the
best citizenship of older States.
Many Of our people are old pio-
neers, who have lived long years in
Arisona, bravinG with stout hearts
The many dangers of the frontier
when each man was his own senti-
mel; the guardian of his own camp
fire. Many a patriarchal head is
whitened DER, and many cheek is
bronzed and furrowed by the weary
years of hardship and struggle
while looking hopefully forward to
the dawn Of this hour of prosperity
and peace.
They now present to you the
proud material for a State, and they
entreat the creative voice of this
Congress to speak it into life. Many
a season has come and gone only to
find them vassals and to leave them
SO. They now ask that the shackles
of political thraldom be stricken
from them; that their voices may be
heard; that you declare their
equality before the law" and that
the rights of full American citizen
ship shall be theirs"