Arizona sentinel and Yuma weekly examiner., 1911-11-23
Not Empty Promises

Some of the Democratic papers are still sneering at Ralph Cameron, and, although it is only done for effect and although the Democratic press has tried hard to find something to say against him, they have only been able to say that he is a stand-patter, etc.
 Ralph Cameron is live wire. He is constructive statesman. He has an engaging personality that gets him what he goes after, and he has done so much more for Arizona in three years than Marcus Arelius Smith was able to do in twenty years, that conse- quently the only thing the Democrats are able to think of, is that Ralph Cameron is unprogressive. The Democrats know that he is more progressive than Smith ever dar- ed be, but that is all the yell they can think-of.
 But it won't do.
 Ralph Cameron was elected three years ago in the face of a great Dem ocratic majority, with the distinct promise that he get statehood.
 The enabling act was passed.
 Cameron, handicapped by poverty, the candidate of party, at that time rent asunder by internecine strife, and as moneyless as he, realizing that the material development of Arizona and the prosperity of her people depended in great measure upon her admission to the union, something she had been striving for for a quarter of a century to do, entered into the. campaign with a pledge that if elected, he would se- cure statehood during his first term, or he would retire to private life, giv- ing way to better man.
 On that issue he was elected. He took office March 4, 1909. He found congress tired of the talk of statehood for Arizona. The joint statehood bill had been so violently discussed that it's defeat had left many sore spots. Cameron sought these out and soothed them. He studied his colleagues and pleaded the cause of Arizona so elo- quently that he made friends among them rapidly-so rapidly that on July 15, four months and eleven days after taking his oath of office he felt en- couraged to introduce the bill which eventually formed the basis of the en- abling act, after which the constitu tional convention was called and which gave us statehood.
 He made good. He secured the pas sage of the enabling act, which made possible the calling of constitutional convention and the adoption of the constitution.
 Conscious of a lurking feeling of an imosity toward Arizona in the minds of some, knowing that jealousy of pre- negatives would cause advantage to re taken of trivial things to delay the bringing about of Arizona's hopes, he urged the constitution makers to Ie wary of innovations
 His advice was disregarded, the in were incorporated in th< fundamental law, the delays he feared were brought about, but undisuayeG he fought on, until finally two years and a few days after the introduction of his original statehood bill, he saw the fruition of his hopes in the approv- al by the president of the Smith Flood resolution subject to conditions whi:h will be carried out at the polls on be cember 12, next
 Cameron has won the right to ask that the people of Arizona send him as one of the representatives to which the state is entitled in the United States senate.
 He has made good. He has redeem ed the pledge he made when he was elected as a delegate to congress.
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