Arizona republican., 1913-12-22
President Smith and Party Report Delightful Trip to Branches of the Church in Arizona and California Settlements.
FROM
 GOV ERNOR HUNT
Says Molmons Are Among Best Citizens of His State and That They Fill the Schools Rather Than the JailS,


 JailS
 President Joseph F. Smith and party are home again after trip of about three weeks to stakes. wards and branches of the church in Ari- zopa vnd California. says the Salt Lake City Deserct Evening News. At the office Of the first presidency this morning President smith declared ruo whole trip was a delightful one in which the party had had 2 pleas .ant experience and found encouraging conditions among the members and branches of the church.
 in the party in addition to Presi- .den. Joseph F. smith. were Presi- .dcnt Anthon II. Lund. Elders George Albert smith and Joseph F. smith, Jr of the council of the twelve, Pre- siding Bishop C. W. Nibey, and others All members of the party returned well and in joyous spirits .au feeling that the trip had been one of the most pleasant of the kind ever taken.
 Throughout the entire trip. Presi- dent smith said today. loyal treat mcnt had been accorded them. and the people had expressed great pleas ure at their visits. Especially grati- fying to all. particularly to President Smith. was the welcome given the party by Governor C. ". r. Hunt of Arizona Captain Massie of the Ari- zona National guard and the mayor of Phoenix.
 ~Governor Hunt. Captain Massie and the mayor of Phoenix called for us at the station. said President smith. and took us for a tour of Phoenix, showing us the beautiful bouIevards. buildings and parks of the city, and later took us to Mesa in their automobiles. and attended with us the dedicatory services of the two new meeting houses at that place
 ~At the dedicatory services Gov ernor Hunt made an address in which he declared that the Mormon peo- pie are the best citizens in Arizona. They fill our schools said the gov ernor. and not the jails.
 Two days later We met the gov ernor again and then l took occasion to thank him for what he had said about our people At that time he said he had verified with figures his statement of two days before. Ac- cording to the population of this state he said. and the proportionate number of individuals in the peni- tentiary. the Mormon population is entitled to eighteen inmates there As a matter of fact there is only one Mormon in the penitentiary.' I told Governor Hunt that this one could not be much of a Mormon"
 We found out later that there had been Il member of the church sen tenced to a term in the penitentiary for rather peculiar offense. and We thought this might be the case of the one Mormon now in the Arizona state pen. A man had borrowed money from one of the young men for the purpose of purchasing cloth ing. He promised to return the amount at a stipulated time As he did not return it, the young. man went to him about it. He made num- erous trips. and finally the man told him that he might as well discon- tinue his visits: that he no longer even intended to pay the amount. Upon this the young man simply took the clothes For this he was convicted of theft and sent to the penitentiary
 At Phoenix We visited the state capitol, and it is my impression that the structure could nowhere be du- plicated for the amount of money l expended upon it. It is simply mag nificent. The grounds are elegantly | laid out with beautiful date palms ] floral designs, etc. and the most magnificent roses I ever saw were in l bloom. Governor Hunt himself pre- sented us with a beautiful wreath ol l flowers.
 1 With regard to our visit at the 1 various branches and with the re | fuSees from Mexico. I wish to em- | phasize our visit at Binghampton. | four and a half miles from Tucson. 1 There were in attendance at the meeting 292 saints, over 200 of whom were refugees. I advised those peo- pie to cease waiting to return to their | former homes: to begin right where | they are and build up again; gather l whatever possessions they can make what homes they can, improve their 1 conditions as far as it is possible for i them to do so. relinquishing the idea of returning to Mexico If then. I l argued. they ever do receive jude- ment for wrongs and losses suffered there, if conditions again permit them to return to those Mexican set
 Continued on Page Six.)