Arizona republican., 1918-05-13
By GEORGE H. SMALLEY (Who Served as His Private Secretary During Governor Brodie's Term
 as Governor of ArizonaA

The strenuous war work has left unanswered a letter I received a short tune ago from Colonel Alexander 0. Brodie in which there ran a deep tone or sorrow that he could not go to the front. T wish I were twenty years younger" he wrote, that I might take my part in this gigantic struggle which means so much as fruition of all We have ever fought for"
 That letter must ever remain un- answered. but I cannot let my friend pass out of this life without a mes sage to the people reminding them how much We Arizonians owe to Colonel Brodie. It was gratifying to read Governor Hunts message to Mrs. Brodie, and every friend of Colonel Brod1e must appreciate it and feel that even though the newspapers may fail In editorial eulogy which was his due. the chief executive of our state is mindful of the great work Colonel Brodie did and has graciously called upon our people to pay fitting tribute to this state builder who has passed on.
 Those were momentous days when the reins of state government fell into the hands of Colonel Brodie. 4 crisis had been reached in the long struggle to shake off the manacles of territorial bondage when he took office. Wash ington knew that the time to act had arrived, and the powers did not want Arlzona to come in as a state. I recall the hurried visit of a member of the upper house to the governors office during the first session of the legis- iature that Colonel Brodie was chief executive of the state. He held in his
 hand message from leader in washington proposing a compromise and asking that the governors ap- proval be secured. It proposed joint statehood for Arizona and New MeM- co. Colonel Brodie read the message, | laid 1t on his desk and lighted his | pipe. He smoked slowly. but his firm Jaw was biting hard on the pipe stem and glare of steel shone in his eyes He did not often become angry, but this message was so repugnant to his ideas of justice due the people of this state that he dismissed the senator | with few words which could not be l misunderstood. And later on when he | found that his old comrade of the 1 Spanish American war, who was then president of the United States, favored | this unthinkable plan, Colonel Brodie
 took the first train for Washington. l The man he loved. and had fought
 with side by side in Cuba he was now
 called on to fight in order that the Arizona of today might come into it's own. He persuaded the president to
 recommend that the people of each | state be allowed to guy whether they wanted this alliance, and it was this
 compromise that finally saved the day.
 Had Governor Brodie acquiesced in the proposition for jointure and al- lowed 1t to go unfought, Arizona might
 ever have lost her identity as q 1 separate commonwealth.
 l There were many acts of Colonel
 Brodie of this important nature which
 will ever endear him 10 the hearts of our people. When ne took office all state funds were in one bank and
 drawing no interest. It was said that
 the interest derived from these funds
 paid the entire running expenses of the 1 favored bank. Colonel Brodie's first
 act was to distribute the state money
 to banks throughout the state and he | recommended to the legislature an act
 providing that interest be'paid by the l banks.
 A contingent fund provided by the
 legislature was left untouched by him.
 He held that the legislature did not
 have the right to add to the compen-
 sation of the governor-which this fund