The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-06-01
MAIDEN SPEECH BY
ROBERTS OF NEVADA

and Arizona was under consideration,
Mr.. Roberts, of Nevada, delivered
telling speech in favor Of the terri
tories, in part as follows:
Mr.. Chairman: Some of us who have
come to congress for the first time, and
who by virtue of the "dice shaking
custom which prevails in the selection
Of seats have been relegated to the
suburbs of the house floor, have sat
here throughout this long debate listen
ing as best we could and hoping
against hope that something might be
said or done that would Justify the
action of those members on both sides
of the floor of this house who oppose
the immediate and unconditional ad-
mission of New Mexico and Arizona
into the union under the constitution
they have adopted. (Applause.) 1t
would appear to us that those two
western territories, great in area, peo-
pied with an intelligent, progressive,
lawabiding and liberty loving people,
rich in natural resources, and possess
ing all that is essential to statehood,
are being made the unfortunate vic
Tins of a political "gamble" in which
their "hole card' has been seen, and
their opponents, Democrats and Repub-
licans alike, are each "raising' the
other while the territories ''stand
pat" and lose their "ante.' zap
plause) They have been knocking at
the door of congress asking admission
into the union for years, but lest one
party or the other might benefit by
their admission and the political com
plexion of the lawmaking bodies of
this country be changed, their admis-
or another, until now, regardless Of
parties or politics, the great mass of
fair minded American people demand
their admission, and their admission at
once. The majority members of the
house are entitled to no great credit
if this resolution is adopted (as it un-
doubtedly will be) because it defers ac-
ton and asks the people of Arizona to
vote again on the very questions they
once adopted by vote of more than
three to one, or, to be specific, 12,ls7
for and 3,s22 against. Is that Demo
erates Is that in accordance with
your ideas of Demoeraeyf You ask the
people of New Mexico, after they have
presented a constitution Republican
in form and adopted it at a general
election by vote of more than two to
one. or, to be more specific, by a vote
of 3l,742 for and 1889 against, to
vote on it again? Is that Democraticf =
Is that in keeping with your cherished
ideas Of Jeffersonian Democracy o.
which we hear so much2 (Applause on
the Republican side.)
You say to the people of Arizona:
+" You have adopted constitution
which contains a provision for the re-
call of all elective officers by decisive
vote. 1t is Republican in form and
Democratic in spirit, but we, as the
great censors of all that is purely
Democratic, do not believe that you
meant what you said by your votes,
and are going to make you toe the
mark and try it again.
You claim to believe in the people.
I have heard this chamber echo and re-
echo with the eloquence of great men
and have sen great beads of prespira-
ton course down the cheeks of the
orators while copious gushing tears
dimmed their vision in passionate ap
peals made In behalf of the down
trodden masses, while the sanctity of
the ballot was upheld and the "ma-
jority rulue' on all questions was held
to be the guiding spirit in all that
savors of pure Democracy. CAP
piause.)
Why this change of heart at time
when you can respond by bowling to
the will of the maJorityf All on this
side of the house are ready to act at
once as regards the admission of New
Mexico, and many of us on both sides
; ready to do the same with Ari'
zona, regardless Of our individual opin-
MS. on the various articles and sec
- - / ON.
sreaking my individual opinion, not
rs partisan, but as plain represen'
tative of the people who has no lakes
to grind.' alliances to make, favors
to ask, or fears to constrain him.
1t is admitted by all that congress
has the right under the law to admit
one or both if it deems best, or to
deny one or both admission if it sees
fit 80 to do. What, then, should actu
ate congress in the admission of states
into the unionf In my humble opinion
whenever a territory of the United
States of sufficient area and resources
and peopled with class of people of
such standard of citizenship as to
conduct the limited affairs of a terri
torial form of government in man
ner becoming an enlightened people,
who are intelligent, moral, law abiding
and liberty-loving and have complied
with the terms of the enabling act on
congress by the adoption of con
stitution prepared by convention
duly elected, organized and held IN
compliance with the terms of congress
and subsequently ratified by majority
vote of the people of the territory, il
is not only entitled to admission into
the union on an equal footing with the
original states, but should be admitted,
and admitted at once.
The views or the minority, signe'
~ William II. Draper, Frank r.
Guernsey, J. N. Langham, Frank H.
Willis, William II. Andrews and Ralph
II, Cameron. are set forth plainly ano
explicitly in a joint resolution.
The views expressed by these men
are plain, and the people of Arizona
need have no question as to how thev
stand upon the recall when applied to
the judiciary. We do not agree with