The Winslow mail., 1912-01-13
WILL GOVERNMENT GOODS
Be SOLD AS STATEHOOD
COMES?

Dreadful possibilities stare Arizona
in the face with the approach of state
hood. These have been family sugges
ted by George U. Young, when he
stated that the present appointive of.
ficials would have to sell the furnish.
ings and equipment of the capitol
building in Phoenix, because they were
federal government property and the
building would be left empty and with
bare, cold appearing walls when the
state officials of the new state should
arrive to take up their quarters in the
gutted chambers that would be left
Yet this state of affairs is only mildly
provoking when one considers what is
in store for Arizona if the theory of
the secretary to Governor Sloan that
government property will not revert
to the state and must be sold by the
president incumbents in the appoin.
tive officers before they are retired to
innocuous desuetude. Mr. Young has
merely dropped hint of what may be
coming and it has remained for a Bis
beetle to tell the rest OF the terrible
story.
The furnishings of the capitol build
ing are not the only government pro-
perty in the state to be of Arizona.
There is the equipment and the fur
nishings of the reform school and in
sar e asylum. If the appointive territor-
ial officers sell the furnishings of the
capitol, is it not also incumbent upon
them to dispose of the other federal
property, to leave the unfortunate
lunatics who people the asylum bed
less and boardless, without plate to
eat off and to leave the children in the
building at Benson in bare and un-
furnished building?
And the end is not yet It's nara
tion is but begun. The tale of horrible
possibilities continues to grow. There
is still other government property
which the governors secretary may
feel called upon to put up at public or
private sale moved by his sense of
duty to the central power at Washing
ton. It has been suggested that the PEN
itentiary at Florence there is other
property, the stripes the convicts wear,
their shoes and socks, yea even their
underwear. Will this property be sold
when the proclamation of statehood
reaches the capital of Arizona?
Will the inmates of the penal institu-
tion have every strip of clothing taken
from their backs and be left cold and
shivering in their cells with never
a blanket to cover their nackedless?
The same ownership prevails of the
clothing worn by the inmates of the
asylum and the reform school. Will
the supposedly benevolent Uncle Sam
institutions their wearing apparel,
even unto their union suits and put
the garments upon the auction block
even while schedule K is still in force
and not whipped off the federal statute
books by a democratic house? Had
Taft thought of this be would certainly
never have written his wool bill veto at
the special session of congress. He
would have shown some mercy to these
unfortunates at least
1t would be sorry enough situation
to be met had it occurred in the balmy
summer months when days are warm
and night are delightful but when one
considers that even here in Arizona
there are chill days in the W inter and
shivery nights prevail the scene that
rises to ones mind is too cruel for quiet
contemplation
Something must be done to check
the zeal of the secretary of Arizona.
Let him take the furnishings of the
capitol building and send them to the
second hand store or the junk shop
but the union suits of convicts must
be saved to them or else Taft must be
pursu AIDED not to issue a statehood
proclamation before June when china
tological conditions will be more suit
able. It is possible that Delegate Cam
eron may not be revengeful despite
his defeat, the unfornate people had
no votes at the recent republican dis
aster, and the Arizona delegate might
we'll introduce resolution sparing to
Arizona this government property so
needed for the comfort and decency of
the inmates of the public institutions
of the new state to be. -Bisbee Review.