El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-05-12
REPORT SUBM|TTE
On STATEHOOD
MEASURE
Debate in Congress Promises
to Be Three Cornered
Affair.

port was maze To-Day by chairman
| Flood of the territories committee on
| the joint resolution admitting Arizona
/ and New Mexico, when the house con-
| vened after a, three days recess. He
| gave notice that he would call m the
resolution for consideration Tuesday.
House leaders say speeches are to be
made on the subject and it will take
! three days, so that the vote will not
be had till late Thursday or FRIDAY.
| The house voted to adjourn until Tues
day.
! VIII be Three Cornered.
The debate in. congress promises to
become a three cornered argument.
! there will be those who insist that the
| constitutions be approved as they were
| ratified by the two territories. Most
! of the Republicans and a few Demo-
Gratis will line up on this ground An
| other group will want to change the
recall of the judiciary in the Arizona
| constitution, and the amendment clause
| In the New Mexico fundamental law
| This will be the sentiment of the ma
| jority Of the house. They want the
changes submitted to a vote Of the
neopie of the two territories, but they
| are willing that statehood should be
| given regardless of the vote on the
] amendments. The third group, mostly
| IN Sshe senate and headed by senator
! ou,e1 >s5z,1 others favoring- popular
Govern NJ -sswiH insist that the
Changes in the NV Mexico constitution
be made rnandatosN that is, a special
election be called andzSsatehood denied
unless the amendments ~ s-sseo ana
the constitution made easier to anend
The whole matter resolves itself i1SI9
a question of the ability of the two
constitutions to be SO amended or some
one or the other group swung around
! sol that a majority vote can be had for
their approval No one argues for
| minute but that the majority in both
| houses is in favor of admission, but
some want it one way, some want II
another. and still others favor a third.
Can these different sets of constitution
makers be harmonized so vote can be
had. is the question. 1t seems certain
that the question will occupy promi-
nent place in the debates of the future,
but it hardly seems probable that
where a majority in both houses favors
the two states. that Is at least so far
as their coming into the union is con-
I cerned disagreement over what, as
a matter of fact. IS each territory's
business and no one else's. should op-
crate TO again delay matters.
Politics Mixed Up In 1T.
There seems no doubt but that both
sides will play a little politics before
the session is over. and that the two
parties IN the senate will lock horns
on the proposition before they get
through with it.
Sena tor. Owen, and every vote that he
can command according to the SEN
ator's expressed views. viii be thrown
into the balance in favor of making
the New Mexico constitution more easy
Of amendment before the boon of state
hood is ever awarded And If the te-
raeity OF purpose which the senator
has exhibited On other occasions is in
evidence on this question. the statehood
situation becomes very complicated
unless the senator can either have his
way or recedes from his position It
seems probable that he will reeede
rather than have the statehood ques-
ton unsettled at this session. for in
the absence of action by con gress, New
Mexico having been approved by the
president will become a state in June
1912. while Arizona lacking presiden-
tial approval would not. and if there
is anything owen is determined upon.
it is statehood for Arizona with its ex-
tremely popular form of government
declared for in its constitution.
The Republican Argument
The Republican argument is that
I
tuition is in effect a disapproval of the
constitution as accepted by the people.
and they point out that any suggested
change even If submitted to vote of |
the people of the territories later. |
whether made mandatory or not.
would place the territories in a posi- |
ton to lose statehood under this en- /
abling act II the president should veto i
the resolution because Of his dislike |
for the Arizona constitution They |
point out that in that event New Mex |
leo would not become a state, because, /
although the president had approved |
the constitution congress had disap> |
proved II, in that it had seen fit to |
change it This would do away with (
the coveted assurance New Mexico has |
had all along. that statehood was GER
tain at farthest when congress adj
1ourned in the spring or summer OF
1912
There is. Of course. this ground to
be taken, and that is that If the New
Mexico constitution is made easier to
amend, and Arizona given a vote on the
'ecaH the president would probably
not veto IN that case However he
probably would want the assurance that
Arizona would rejects the recall of the
judges before he approved the resolu-
ion, and that brings us back again to
the proposition that the rejection of
this clause. can only be assured by
saying. Eve will give you statehood If
you vote the recall Of the judiciary
Town" In other words. making it man
latory, or precedent to admission. But
many object to this. and others insist
hat congress has no power to insist
hat this clause, or any other be
stricken out or added Again it will
'e argued, can it be made mandatory
Ahe case of Arizona and not in the
:; Hf New Mexico? But that is the
v Frould have to be arranged to
s Presidential disapproval and as
~ Kew Mexico statehood for the
1reydent has already approved the
New- Mexico constitution as il isl
Delegate Andrews has introduced
ills to pension Mrs. Mate Fulkerson.
# Springer, N M, and Mrs. Hebe M.
dHler, OF sTexieoSs II
Supplemental Bids Opened
Supplemental bids on the Roswell
,ostoffice and federal building were
'pened Saturday, and the contract will
be let this week The orig
nal construction bids were opened
bout a month ago. but the supervfs-
ng architects office later advertised
or bids on minor details of the work.