The copper era., 1911-03-17
Some Sensible Observations By
 Mir. Franklin.
fPhoenix Republican.l

The Hon. Alfred Franklin has pub
 lished in the Arizona Democrat .
 thoughtful review of the statehood
 situation. MT. Franklin was one oi
 the members of the late constitu tional convention who stood for prac. tically all of the advanced" notions which characterize the constitution. Presumably he would still be glad to have these doctrines included in our system of government at its very be- ginning, if that were practicable. Evidently he anticipates that the president will disapprove the, con stitution. He knows, of course, that l if the-president does disapprove. that will put an abrupt end to progress toward statehood under existing law, and that anything accomplished thereafter must be from a new start ing point In view of the conditions which must be Confronted in that event, Mir. Franklin makes these sound observations:
 ''Lt occurs to me that it will not be the part of wisdom for the people of Arizona to keep continually chasing the shadow of statehood and thereby lose the substance. We must realize that every victory achieved, other than in the brutal conduct of war, is fraught with-compromise. We must further realize, recognizing that, while the people of this territory are most directly concerned in its con- summa ton, the ultimate power that controls our admission into the great American Uuion is vested in the com posite citizenship of the nation num- bering some ninety millions of patrio- tic people, and represented politi- cally by the president and the con- gress as the constitutional authority that controls our destiny."
 This is exactly in line with the position taken by The Republican at the beginning of the constitutional campaign, and maintained to this moment We tried to point out the difficulties which the people of Arl- zona were bound to encounter in try ing to achieve statehood iu disregard of the veto power over our con stitution which had been vested in the president and the congress.
 Assuming still that the president will reject the constitution, we can foresee nothing but disaster as the result of further efforts to "force things" at Washington. As Cover nor Sloan well said immediately after the election of last month, our hope of success in the future-in case the president rejects the constitution mus, be founded on frank re- cogniIion of the probability that while We ask the president and con- gress to coneede something, we also must be prepared to concede some thing.
 This is the only policy which can promise success.
 To be sure, the people of this terri tory will be told by senator Bourne, and possibly half a dozen other sena- tors, that not a jot or little must be conceded.
 But it is almost time, it seems to us, for the people of Arizona to stop and consider the motives of the poli- ticians who give such advice. While this little group of senators may be nomiually in earnest in working for the admission of Arizona under the < far more interested in boosting their own political game. Thsv want an tissue" on which they can fight MT. Taft in the next campaign. By fore ing them into the open on the re- ciprocity question, MT. Taft has ex posed the utter hypocrisy of the iusurgent senator who have insisted that they were insurgent only be- cause they wanted tariff reduction. The ground has been cut from under their feet on the tariff question. They must have some other ground on which to oppose the president and on which to keep themselves promin- ently before the country. They are hoping that Arizona will furnish them with this ground. They would be quite we'll pleased to see Arizona sacrificed. if thereby they could be enabled to pose as the champions of d defeated people
 But we do not believe that the peo pie of Arizona will, on careful con- sideration. lend themselves to the scheme of making this territory a sacrifcial goat upon the insurgent altar.
 What we want is statehood-we are not caring anything about the cbestnuts which the BOur nes and the Bristows may have in the fire.
 Mir. Franklin talks excellent sense
 ConoraI Ari70na NoWS