Year: 1866

The following are the remarks of Governor Goodwin in Congress, May Sd, as given in the Globe of the following day. Mir Rice, Of Maine, having moved an amendment to the bill Co strike out that part taking oh n DOT ton of Arizona, the Governor said;

 "I hope the amendment of the gentleman from Maine will prevail. The bill, as amended, would provide for taking a portion of Utah and annexing it Co Nevada, striking out so much of the Senate bill as provided for the annexation ol any portion of Arizona.

 "This bin came to the House of Rcprcsen tatives from the Senate. While it was pend ing before the Committee on Territories in the Senate no hearing was had on the merits of this question. With my consent no hear ing was had at that time, though was notl- fed that the bill was pending, for the reason that desired to b ear from my constituents in relation to the matter. When the bill came before the Committee on Territories of the House a full hearing was had on the mer- its of the question, and the committee, after hearing decided to strike out so much of tie bill as related to the Territory of Arizona.

 "Mr Speaker, the House of Representativ, s

 

 wh oh to present a question fl this kind A qu,st on regarding the dism, mberment of . Territory should be decided upon evidence and facts, and not upon simple statements made in the course of debate; and the ques tion was SO regarded by the Committee or Territories of this House. l hope that th, House will adopt the recommendation of th, committee on this subject.

 "i can only state very briefly, in the tim, allotted Co me this morning, the substance o the argument, the points that were made be fore the Committee on Territories. It would be Impossible tO go over Che argument in full

 The first objection Co taxing this portion oE the Territory of Arizona and anne king it to Nevada is this: there is no natural con nectton between those Territories. This DOT ton of the Territory of Arizona is part ot tho watershed of the Colorado river All th, streams running through that Territory empty into the Colorado. The people receive theil supplies up the Colorado river. The principa mail route into Arizona runs down through settlement about two hundred miles distant from Prescott. which is the capital of th, Territory. All their connections and bushes, are with the Territory of Arizona.

 Now, 1T they were annexed to the Stat, 0i Nevada they would De obliged, in Ortier t, reach the capital of the Territory, either [, go round by San Francisco or to % up nearl, Co the point of the overland mail route bcfor, they could get into the route leading Co thu capital of Nevada. There is no natural con nection between this country and the Stat, of Nevada. It is separated from that Stat, by portion of the great desert, which pres ents an almost impossible barrier IL is s, perfectly barren that it is called "Deatl Valley" That forms the boundary betwee, the two.

 There is another objection to this bill. 1 establishes new precedent in legislation While the consent of the State of Nevada i made condition precedent to the annexatioi ot this Territory, no consent is required ol the part of the people of Arizona They an obliged to take upon themselves the bnrdel of State government without their consent l would be perfectly willing that this biI should pass if the people of Arizona can b, permitted to vote on this question and decid, .it by majority. And propose to offer. i this amendment should should not be adoptet and the bill should pass in its present shape an amendment of that kind And sir, know and gentlemen who advocate this bill know that if the bill docs pass in this shape ther. will be an almost unanimous vote of the peo pie of that portion Of the Territory against it.n