Evening star., 1911-08-15

President Taft, in special message to
the House OF Representatives. today
vetoed the joint resolution providing for
the admission of New Mexico and Ari-
roma to statehood His reason for ex-
ercising the executive power of veto was
based on his thorough diaapproval Of the
recall-of-judges clause in the Arizona
constitution.
The fact that New Mexico's statehood
was bound up with that of Arizona
meted out TO her the same fate, and
neither territory can come into the Union
at this time unless friends of the joint
resolution in Congress can muster the
two-thirds vote necessary to pass the
resolution over the Presidents Veto This
may be attempted.
The President did not spare words in
ccndemning the recall feature of the
Arizona constitution. which. he said.
would compel judges to make their deci-
.sions under legalized terrorism The
recall provision would operate against
all elective officers of Arizona. including
both county and state judges. When %
per cent of the voters of the previous
election petitioned for a special election
to remove an Official such an election
would be compulsory.
Opportunity for Tyranny.
This provision of the Arizona constf-
tution.' the President says in its az
pl.ca;.on 10 county and state Judges
seems TO me so pernicious in its effect. so
destructive of independence in the Ju-
dietary, so lS'sely 10 subject the. rights o.
the individual to the possible tyranny oi
q popular majority. and. therefore, TO be
% injurious TO the cause OF free govern.
ment. that I must disapprove a const..
= futon containing it..
Much OF the message was devoted to a
discussion OF the functions OF the courts
under the Constitution. The Presiden,
dwelt at considerable length on the ne.
cessity for freeing the judiciary as much
as possible from politics or popular in.
fuence. And referring to the recall pro
vision. he asks
Gould there be a system more ingen.
iousiy devised to subject judges 10 mo
mentary gusts OF popular passion thar
this?'
The message was received with grea'
interest by the House. largely because Of
the Presidents long association with tn,
judiciary. The document in full is as fol
lows:
ITO the House OF Representatives:
Il return herewith. without my ap
proval, House Joint resolution No. IA, .Te
admit the territories OF New Mexico anc
Arizona as states into the Union on al
equal footing with the original states
Congress. by an enabling act approved
June q. 1910. provided for the calling O,
constitutional convention in each o.
these territories the submission OF ths
constitution proposed by the. convention
TO the eldctors OF the territory, the ap
proval of the constitution b. the Presi
dent and Congress, the proclamation al
| the fact by the President and the electior
! OF state offfcers- Both in Arizona ant
New Mexico conventions have been held
constitutions adopted and ratified by IN,
people and submitted to the Presiden
and Congress. l have approved the con
stitution of New Mexico. and so did tn,
House of Representatives OF the Sixty
first Congress The Senate, however
failed TO take action upon It, I have no
approved the Arizona constitution, no
have the two houses OF Congress excep
as they have done so by the Joint resolJl
ton under consideration. The resolution
admits both territories to statehood witt
their constitutions, on condition that, a
the tire of the election of state officers
New Mex CO shall submit to its elector
an amendment To its new constitution
altering and modifying its provision 70
condition that Arizona shall submit to il
e'sct0s. at the time of the election of 1t
state oficers, proposed amendment I
,.Fon,;Du.d nv, THIRD