Arizona republican., 1922-04-25


Ladies and Gentlemen:
This is, indeed, a great and glorious
dav in the history of your young
state: no wonder that the beautiful
words Of welcome that fell from the
lips of your distinguished governor
and the worthy mayor OF this city, in
addition to the tender OF a truly
whole hearted and typically warm
western hospitality. have the ring OF
a pardonable pride and satisfaction,
in offering to US, for our enjoyment,
the fruits Of many years OF patient,
Industrious and continued labors.
Well might you, the citizens Of Ari-
zona, paraphrase Hamlet. and, with
the prince of Denmark. say to your
guests from distant states: Look
here. upon this picture, and on this,
the counterfeit presentment OF two"
epochs. But yesterday, for so 1t
seems to me, the adventurous pio-
neer. rifle in hand, and following the
then familiar prairie schooner, plod-
ded these painless plains, under the
scorching sun OF q vast desert. In
solitude unbroken, save for the hoarse
growl of the mountain lion, the shrill
yelp of the wolf and the coyote, the
dreaded beating of the Tombe, and
the war whoop of the hostile Apache,
NJ the traveller. In that most perilous
tourney. but the lonely giant cactus
(Sahuaro), that proudly lifts its
prickly head to heaven on the hills
by the wayside.
A barren waste, an immense will
derness. where death stalked SUI
preme. keeping q silent and menacing
watch. as in the antechamber of the
grave: such was the Arizona of yes
And now, behold! "What grace sits
upon her brow" The waters of her
streams have been halted in their
rapid march to the sea, and made TO
flow instead upon the erstwhile bar
rem soil Of the desert. changing. 1t
over night into charming paradise,
abounds. Cities, almost rfvaling a
fairy's tale, have sprung UP in the
midst of these blooming valleys,
where men. women and children en-
ioy life and are happy in the posses
sion of all the comforts, nay. the lux
| uries. of the older centers OF civiliZa-
ton and of human progress; palaces
arise today where the rude cabin Of
the daring prospector once stood;
schools colleges and universities, OF
the highest grade and standard, have
changed the uncouth, unpublished ana
uncultured character OF the country
OF frontier days in to modern Athe-
neum. The hammer of the miner re-
sounds in the very heart or your
mountains; the mill and the smelter
keep the wheels of industry revolving
night and day, and from the bowels
OF the Arizona soil, a stream OF
wealth continuously flows to enrich
its citizens and the nations at large.
Truly, my friends. Arizona holds "a
station like the herald Mercury, new
lighted on a heaven kissing hill"
| station to which every man does
seem TO set his seal to give the
world assurance Of a" state.
This is the Arizona of today.
We rejoice with you in your mag
| nificent achievements, and wish you
Godspeed and unlimited success In
your great work Of construction and
development.
On behalf OF the visiting delegates
to this convention, and more particu-
Iarly those of my neighbor state or
| New Mexico, thank you all for your
gracious and liberal hospitality, and
! beg to assure you Of our sincere de-
sire to cooperate with you in MAX
ing this gathering a great success,
fruitful of practical results, beneficial
to the nation at large.
In Justice to you, ladies and gentle-
| men, who have so highly honored me
! with your kindly forbearance in the
course of my remarks, should now
close, but must ask you to permit
me further to tax your patient tndul-
gence for a minute or two. Whlle
discharge another duty, which to me
is sacred, because it refers to the
dead. 1t has pleased Providence tc
spare me to see this glad day. anc
to act as q Connecting link between
the present and the past, and &c
bring to you a message OF welcomt
and of cheer from q generation OF
men whom 1t was my privilege &C
know in this goodly land OF Arizona
over a half century ago, a generator
that has already solved the greal
mystery of death and gone to III
reward.
Those brave and sturdy pioneers
1 are no more. but in the mirror o.
memory, I can yet see them, now a.
their plows, and under difficulties
trying to till the soil on the banks o.
the tiny Santa Cruz, in Tucson, O.
the more pretentious Gila, at Flor
. ence, and of the mighty Colorado, a
Yuma: all OF q sudden the seem
cnAnkGS.
beating of the drum is heard in tn
village: the plow Is left idle in th'
field. and the men run and hurry TO
their rifles and their horses: wive'
and daughters are stretched to thei
| manly bosoms in a warm, and posi-
bly, in a last, embrace; the Apaches
those indomitable warriors, VINO
with Spartan courage and unyieldinl
tenacity. defended inch by inch tn
land that had been theirs for centu
ries unknown, have carried away tnel
scarty herds Of cattle and murdere'
) the herder; the settlers hurry Z
overtake the enemy and to recove
the stolen property; many OF then
return no more, but are brought paci
. . hanging across the saddle OF lhel
! horses; yea, and not a few or tnen
: saw their wives, their daughters an
sons carried away in captivity by tn
savage of the desert. there to lead
life of agony and torture, with n
other hope Of redemption than tn
. charitable hand of death.
Z Such were the scenes enacted i
the Arizona of the long ago, year
: and years before the throbbing Q
! the railroad engine disturbed tn
!. . slumbers and the monotonous qui
: etude of the inhabitants of the desel
: and of your mountain Businesses; a
Z this distant date methinks / hear
J voice arising from the unmarked an
forgotten graves Of those forerunner
of Christian civilization, bidding M
in their behalf. to welcome you
:. to the land that they redeemed fror
: savage control, that 1t might becom
: the heritage of Christian peoples, an
the happy home of civilized man for
: evermOre.
The men of the long ago did thei
/ work well: you are doing your wor
well: let us hope that in the Grea