Graham guardian., 1911-03-31
MARCH 81, 1911.
NOT EVERYBODY'S BUSI.
NESS


The Ell Paso Times, in its issue Of
March 23d, gave vent to its spleen
regarding Arizona and her constitu-
ton in manner that leaves little
doubt as to the stand of that paper
regarding statehood for Arizona.
Prior to Mr.. Roosevelt's visit to
Arizona, the Times predicted that
he would, in his address at Phoenix,
tear the constitution to pieces, and
tell us that we could not possibly
get statehood under it. But when
Mr.. Roosevelt, in his speech at
Phoenix, emphatically endorsed Ari-
zona's claims for statehood under
our present constitution, the Times
takes occasion to speak in sighting
way of him, and again to Willify the
people Of Arizona.
Because the Ell Paso Times wants
to dictate our constitution, and
holds to the view that no State has
a right to construct her own con-
stitution as she sees fit, is no reason
why it should villify our people as
socialists, anarchists and wild theor-
lists, since we hold to the democratic
principle that we have a right to
make a constitution that suits the
people of Arizona.
The Times claims that the repre-
sentatives of other States are re-
quired to pass upon and endorse the
constitutions of all States as a pre-
requisite to statehood. The law re-
quires nothing Of the kind. The
only requirement that the constitu-
tion of the United States provides
for, is that the constitution of the
State to be admitted shall conform
to the constitution Of the United
States; or rather shall not conflict
with that instrument. We will adj
init. however, that in the Enabling
Act for Arizona and New Mexico,
the president is required to approve
our constitution and Congress may
do so. This does not. however, give
either, to the president or Congress,
right to dictate what we shall put
in our constitution.
The Times is fighting one solitary
section. or rather part of one Sec
tion of the constitution. 1t con-
sistently keeps quiet about all the
rest of the manv good provisions in,
the instrument. 1t seems to think
that that one provision, the recall
of the judiciary, nullifies all law
and order. In fact, the Times is
more of a theorist than the mem
bers Of the convention which con-
structed the constitution, for it is
only a theory that the Times ad-
vances. Anything that is untried is
a theory; so that the Times is max
ing great scare out of a theory.
AS Mr.. Roosevelt has well said, if
the people of Arizona want to try
that theory, it is their right to do
so, and if they find it will not work,
they are big enough and broad
enough and sound enough to amend
that section.
We concede to all right to criti-
else, not only our constitution, but
any law we may make, but we deny
the right of anyone outside of Ari-
zona to dictate either. And we also
deny the right of the FL Paso Times
and Senator Bailey to read the
democrats of Arizona out of the
party because the democrats of Ari-
zona have presumed to write a con-
stitution in accord with their own
ideas and wishes.
Democracy, as we understand it
out here, teaches that the people
have a right to make their own laws
and any interference by outside
siarl;cs is an Infringement of their
rights. The people of Arizona have
followed out that principle and have
a., p,evi : sopstitution that is ac-