Bisbee daily review., 1914-10-23
KEEGAN DISCUSSES
 MIAMI GO. DIVISION
 IN ITS LOCAL PHASE
State Fair Commissioner Points Out That Private Interests Are Behind Measure And Would Be The Sole BenefiCiarieS

GLOBE. Oct 22-state Fair Com missioner J. d. Keegan. has returned from a summer visit to the coast and to some of the Arizona county seats, and has become actively in- terested in the question of proposed division of his home county.
 Discussing the matter from the standpoint Of taxpayer of Gia county and a citizen interested in everything affecting the general well fare of the state of Arizona, Mir Kee- gan said today:
 "The proposed creation of Miami county out of section of Gua coun- ty is a matter that concerns particu- larly the taxpayers Of Gila. The coun- ty looms up large on the map, but its area of taxable territory is insg- nihcant in comparison with the whole
 No public interest would be served by division of the county. The chief beneficiary of the scheme would be its sole originator the owner of the townsite of Miami
 The total area of Gila county is 4.525 square miles. The San Carlos and Fort Apache Indian reservations cover nearly one-half of the county. about 2,O00 square miles. and the Tonto and Crook National Forests cover approximately 2,450 square miles. The area of privately owned land in the county is only 32.O14 acres, or 50 square miles Division of the county. as proposed by the Mi ami County Initiative Measure would establish two counties and two coun- ty seats within an area of less than half a township. The outside terri tory, from a revenue-producing stand. point, is negligible
 Creation of a new county would impose upon the taxpayers of the Miami district the burden of ex- pense for new county buildings and sites, located within four miles of the present court house. which is ad. equate for all needs and purposes of the inhabitants of Gila county DupIi- cation of the machinery of county government, obviously, would double the annual tax burden for salaries of officers and maintainance of courts. etc.
 Making a county seat town of Miami would be Of distinct benefit to the owners of town-lot property available as sites for county build | ings. and possibly to merchants in the town. But that benefit obviously would be obtained by a few at the ex- l pense of all the taxpayers of Gua county. That any public interest would be served by duplication of the machinery of government in the small area of Gila county's mining district has not been shown or even asserted.
 The matter concerns only the cit l lens and taxpayers of Gila county. l and the voters of other counties should put themselves in our place | and consider how they would like to 1 have their right of management of J their local affairs taken away from them by the voters of the state for | no good reason This Miami county | scheme is nothing but an attempt to prevent the initiation to the use of a l town-lot speculator for personal gain. It is up to the people of our sister 1 counties to give Gila a square deal | by voting against the Miami county | proposition. If there ever shall be | any reason for dividing Gila county. We can attend to it ourselves, as we would let other counties attend to their business"