Weekly journal-miner., 1911-01-18
ARIZONA AND HER RIGHTS.


 The great cry of the leaders of those who favor the adoption of the proposed Constitution of Arizona is that the Territory should stand on her rights and demand admission under any Constitution she choses to frame, regardless of the attitude of the President and Congress.
 Search the Territory over and you will find few men who will not acknowledge that Statehood is the one thing absolutely needed to set in motion a wave of tremendous ma terial development which would en- gulf all of Arizona. Pin the most radical of the Constitution $ lovers right down to the point and he will acknowledge that Statehood is the supreme issue of the present, and that all other issues are secondary. Unfortunately, Statehood cannot be Secured without the assent of the President and Congress. The talk about the rights of Arizona in the premises is all right from the sound point of view, but again, unfortun- ately, Arizona has no rights beyond those of Cuba, the Philippines or Porto Rico. Arizona is simply a Ter ritorial ward of the United States. It is within the power of Congress to swap the Territory, if that body saw fit, to Mexico. or any other power, in exchange for something of equal or more value, according to the trading perspieaeity of Uncle Sam. The advocates of the Initia- tive, the Referendum, and the, Re call of the judiciary, are prone to quote what has been. done in other states regarding the Initiative, the Referendum and the Recall, and ar gue that Arizona has the same right of procedure. s.~
 It will be well to remember that whatever progressive legislation ..h has been enacted along the lines of the Initiative, the Referendum and the Recall, has been enacted by a sov- erign state, with the single excep- tion of Oklahoma, and that Territory did not dream of inviting the dis approval of the President by ineor- porating the Recall of the judiciary.
 The whole Oregon system of di- rect legislation, which has been so largely incorporated into the Ari- zona Constitution, is now on appeal before the United States Supreme Court. If it were possible to secure an opinion of the court before the Constitution reaches Taft, and the opinion was favorable, establishing the eonstitutionality of the Oregon system, we do not believe the Presi- dent or Congress would have any excuse, or even any wish, to turn i down the proposed fundamental law.
 But, under the circumstances, it is the height of. folly on the part of any man, who's all is staked upon the eonsummation of Statehood in Ari- { zona, to vote for the Constitution on February 9th, and force the issue to the President. Enough has been learn 1 ed to make it absolutely certain that | President Taft will never approve 1 the Recall of the judiciary. This l being so, it is rank political idiocy | to howl about Arizona's rights; that she does not possess, and to use the l argument that the President and the | Senate will not dare to turn down Statehood. To the President and the | Senate the incorporation of the judiciary Recall proposition is re- garded as evidence that the people | of the Territory are not prepared for a Statehood form of government. An adverse vote on the Constitution by the people will simply clear the way for sane action which will assure ! Arizona of Statehood, Why fly in the face of fate and unalteTabIs con