The Coconino sun., 1927-07-08
CALIFORNIA CONGRESSMAN GETS
ALL LHET UP OVER RIVER QUESTION

"At the next session of congress |
shall take the first opportunity to Of
fer joint resolution to congress to
repeal and rescind the act admitting
Arizona to the union as state, and
to restore it to the condition of ter.
ritory in which it was in 1870" These
were the preliminary words of a
speech made before the Democratic
Luncheon club at Los Angeles last
week by Congressman Joseph Grail, of
California, in which the state of Ari-
zona was criticized for the recent
change in its constitution at special
election.
"Arizona has broken its plighted
troth to the other states of the un-
ion," he continued. "It has violated,
annulled and renounced the constitu-
tion of the United States and its
treaty made with the United States
when it was admitted to statehood. 1t
has repudiated its solemn obligations.
1t is guilty of the grossest perfidy.
1t has forfeited all right to the re-
spect and consideration of the other
states Of the union and of the United
States.
sWhen Arizona was admitted to
statehood in 1910 it entered into sol
emn treaty with the United States by
which, among other things, it agreed:
First, to disclaim all right and
title to the unappropriated and un-
granted public lands lying within its
boundaries.
Second, that no taxes should be
imposed by the state upon lands or
property therein belonging to the
United States or reserved for its use.
"Third, to reserve to the United
States with full acquiescence of the
state all rights and powers for the
carrying out of the provisions of the
reclamation act for the construction
of irrigation works and for the re-
clamation of arid lands, to the same
extent as if Arizona had remained
territory.
Fourth, that these provisions
should be made part of the state con-
stitution in such terms as should posi-
lively preclude the making of any fu-
ture constitutional amendment of any
change or abrogation thereof in whole
or in part without the consent of
congress.
ssThese provisions were duly made
part of the state constitution of Ari-
zona without any dissent or objection
and by a statewide vote of its people
and for more than fifteen years no
objection was made and Arizona held
forth to the world that it was happy
under the treaty it had made with the
United States. Among the public
lands reserved to the United States
under this treaty was the bed of the
Colorado river and strip of land
mile wide on either bank of the river
throughout theafull course of the river
I. through Arizona and where hydro
electric energy could be generated on
the Colorado river in the state of Ari-
zona.
"For years Arizona has been block
ing the construction of high dam at
Boulder Canyon on the claim that the
Colorado river belongs to the state of
Arizona and that the dam could not be
built by the government until the fed
eral government or the people OF
southern California would pay to the
state of Arizona taxes on the govern
ment land and government built
hydro-electric generator plants IN the
sum of six or seven million dollars per
year forever.
"When the attention of its governor
and its senators was called to the fact
that it had waived all such claims In
the treaty by which it had been adj
mitted to statehood, the answer came
back, of what validity is treaty?
The constitution of Arizona is our own
and we will change it, And on May
81, 1927, special state election was
held in Arizona to vote on the pro-
posed amendments to the constitution
of that state to eliminate from the
constitution of that state the provl-
sions referred to above.
sThat this election was "a deliberate
and wiIlful act is attested by the TACT
that the proposed amendments were
adopted and the special election called
by order of both houses of the Arl-
zona legislature and by the governor
of that state. Out of less than b,OOU
votes cast through the entire state,
approximately four to one votes were
cast for the notification OF the constl-
tuition and the abrogation of the SOL
emn obligations which Arizona mad
assumed towards the federal govern
ment bv which it had been admitted
tn statehood The constitution Of the
state of Arizona has now been duly
and officially amended so as to strike
therefrom the provisions above re-
cited. This was an act of perfidy. 1t
was an act of rebellion. 1t amounts
to secession. Arizona has lost every
claim to sisterhood among the states.
cat the last session of congress two
senators from Arizona were able to
defeat the Swing-Johnson bill by a
filibuster. Arizona with a popula-
tion of two hundred thousand l2Oo,-
O00) people has one representative IN
congress and two United States SEN
ators. The. tenth district OF Califor-
MIA with six times as many people,
has one representative in congress
and no United States senators. Since
Arizona has violated and repudiated
the treaty by which it was recognized
as a state, it should no longer be rec
ognized as a state. It should not be
entitled to have a representative and
senators in congress. 1t should be re-
stored to the condition of territory
AS a territory it would not be neces-
sarily party to a Colorado river COM
pact and it could not block the devel.