The copper era and Morenci leader., 1918-03-01
TWENTY FIVE YEARS
 AGO IN ARIZONA
EDITOR KELLY, OF THE DOUGLAS INTERNATIONAL TURNS BACK THE PAGES OF DOMESTIC AND POLITICAL HISTORY.

Hon. Charles M. shannon, of Phoe- i nix, who was lined up as the demo- cratic favorite for governor, twenty five years ago, when it was believed Arizona was to be admitted as a state, was a visitor in Douglas last night for a few hours, coming down from Bisbee, where he had been on business to take the Golden State Limited for home. The political lineup in the state twenty-five years ago was something like this: Mark Smith and Col. J. F. Wilson for the senate, shannon for governor, with the other offices to be divided among such oldtimers as Alonzo Bailey of Globe; Ben M. Crawford, of Clifton; Col. B. A. Packard, of Cochise; Sam Purdy and Mike Nu- gent, of Yuma; Joe Dillon and John Herndon, of Prescott and so on around the state.
 But statehood did not come for twenty years after and by that time things had happened to many of the old time favorites. Many were dead and others failed to get on to the progressive band wagon when the in itiative, referendum and recall tempo rarily ruled in Arizona and some other radical states. MT. Shannon had in the meantime sold his mining property in the Clifton -Morenci dis trict and making investments in the northwest was kept out of the state for ten years, though he regularly re- turned to vote here and maintain his residence here.
 Two years ago MT. Shannon bought an extensive ranch property near Florence on the Gila river where he resided until few months ago when he sold the ranch and moved to Phoe- nix. He came into the Clifton Morenci district with his uncle, Bob l Metcalf, when a boy beforei even the ELezinskys had come into that country to engage in copper mining. Finally, | Shannon's uncle made him present of the Shannon mine and left the country. Charley drifted to Silver City where for several years he en- gagged in the newspaper business, re- turning to Clifton once each year to do the assessment work on his min ing claims which were located at Met calf Thirty years ago he sold out in | Silver City and moved back to Cliff ton where for many years he had a hard time trying to attract attention of someone other than the Arizona Copper company to what he believed was the richest copper property in the district. Occasionally be would l get out a few cars of high grade ore and provide a stake to tide him over, l then he would resume his efforts to | find a purchaser for his property
 The only output for the Shannon ore
 was over the railroad owned by the
 Arizona Copper company and when l that company deducted freight and
 smelting charges there was not much
 profit left for Shannon, though his ore
 rated as high grade. ss It is said that Shannon wrote
 enough letters about his mine to sink
 a battleship and finally got nibble
 from w. B. Thompson, mine pro
 moter in New York. Finally Thomp
 son came to Clifton and had the
 property examined and found it just
 as had been represented by Shannon
 and as a result the Shannon Copper
 company was organized and took
 over the property on terms which | gave Shannon a large cash payment besides a good share of stock in the
 company.
 i MT. Shannon has been mentioned
 recently as one of the probable candi
 dates for the democratic nomination
 for. governor this year, but he said
 last night that he regarded it as
 rather early yet for serious consider
 alton of such a proposition. though he | admitted that many of his old time
 friends had expressed desire to
 give him their support. He knows
 the present condition of Arizona and
 its history from A to z. He is man
 of education who has made a study oi
 government and with a genial dispo
 sition he would make for this state 8
 governor of whom the people might
 justly feel proud. should the people
 call him to that position.