Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-02-08
A DUTY Performed DUTY to Face

A DUTY Per1OfmeQ-A DuCy 10 race
The twenty-years battle for statehood for Arizona
"a battle which has been fought shoulder to shoulder
by republicans and democrats in patriotic zeal for the
welfare of the teitorys scheduled to end tomorrow
lin failure.
Ratification Of the constitution at tomorrow cleo
ton spells the doom Of statehood-and unfortunately
ratification appears TO be a certainty.
1t has been extraordinary revelation of stupidity
this action of the majority during the past six months
The battle won in the camp of the enemy-and then
thrown away by foolish tactics at home
The president and the congress of the United States
furnished ladder whereby offered means
of scaling the statehood wall. This ladder i'll the
form OF an enabling act which required to do but one
thng-tO frame constitution which would be accept
able at Washington. We were forewarned that any
effort to make breach in the wall would end in failure
we must enter by the provided or not at ALL
We chose TO kick the ladder aside. We chose to
disregard the warnings.
We must take medicine.
And how unnecessary this performance has been
If had only been wise enough to accept the offer
made Arizona today would be getting ready to enjoy
the greatest business boom in her history Every
sideration pointed to the wisdom of getting the wall
first taking places in the union inside the wall, and
thereafter working ont at leisure any experiments
IN government that appealed to the majority.
The people themselves are not to blame-nOt in the
slightest The parties whom the responsibility rests
for this dlsagreeable situation the numerous pOlt
clans who the people thought truthful and trust
worthy. These politicians saw that certain sms' were
popular-why not accelerate this popularity by telling
the masses that their vague notions were right and thus
ride into power on popular wave? This the rea-
soning of the politicians, and they acted it. Each
politician for himself figured that he could be extreme
radica-fOr purposes of popularity-but that others
would exhibit such conservatism to prevent harm;
statehood would be saved, and he would be in line for
an office of honor and profit But fire having been APP
piled to the grass, the flames spread past control.
Practically all OF these politicians were lying de-
lberatev when they asserted that statehood would not
be lost by disregardng the warnings from Washington.
What they hoped that their assertions would never
be put to the proOf-hey expected constitution more
than produced, but there too
many office seekers playing the same game. The dis
honest and INSCRIPTIONS newspapers which have aided
these politicians have fact done little create the
wave of radicalsm-thev merely rushed to the head of
the procession and bawled. Behold Influence Seel
how apples swim.'
The republicans and democrats of Arizona who have
witnessed this siX-mOnths performance and have had
the courage to stand for the truththe mwecome and
by embracing all the doctrines of extreme radicalism
these courageous republicans and democrats have the
splendid satisfaction which from the conscientious
discharge of duty.
But this satisfaction cannot compensate for the loss
Of statehood
There are other duties yet to be performed.
The first duty which cOnfrOnts every loyal friend
stitutiOn. These adverse ballots will weigh heavily in
favor of Arizona when the fight for admission is re-
newed at Washington
The next duty is to remember the words of John
Paul Jones' that September day. off the coast of Scot
land when his ship dashed to the vessel of the enemy
and his decks raked fore and aft by British guns he was
ordered to surrender, and replied eve have just begun
to fight
''We have just begun to fight, should be the motto
of every friend of statehood The ranks of the state
hood army must be reformed. and campaign begun
as the ballots counted in tOmorrOws election