Show TWO territories A thorough review of the claims of arizona and new mexico to statehood is presented by the new york sun and then the cruel conclusion is reached by eliat usually generous democratic organ that these two great territories should be united into a single state the governors of the two southwestern territories have made their annual reports to the department of the interior both acknowledge great losses in two leading industries of that region silver mining and raising governor Thor riton davs that many silver and lead mines have been closed in new while governor hughes makes the striking statement that the years output of the arizonna Ari zonta silver mines was less than against in 1891 the shrinkage in the arice of silver and the stringency trin gency of the money market account for this change As to the range stock that suffered a loss of from 00 to 80 per cent in arizona owing to a drought lasting at least two years while in new mexico a like disaster has been endured the recent rains there being the first of any abundance that had been known for four or five years with these severe drawbacks the governors nevertheless write hopefully governor finds that the wreck of silver mining has stimulated search for gold in arizona which has had gratifying results while the long drought gave an impetus to water storage projects governor thornton takes comfort in the growth of the sugar beet industry and the demand by the tanners for a species of sour dock the root of which yields a great quantity of lannic acid both territories also have made surprising advances in agriculture and horticulture considering that they are in the arid belt and have as yet so little artificial irrigation in southern arizona are found oranges lemons limes figs tes dates olives and crapes which mature early while further mortn are peaches apricots and other fruits wheat corn and wild hemp are abundant in that region and whoever has noticed the displays of these territories in the agricultural building of the ChIcago fair must have been struck elih their fine specimens of grain and alfalfa sugar cane sorghum and other products add to the variety of useful growths I 1 but the greatest gain of the year to new mexico is perhaps the adjustment of her land titles through the court of private claims established by the last congress the doubtful and insecure tenure of real estate has been one ot the chief drawbacks to the prosperity of this territory for more than forty years and the only effectual remedy ever applied to the evil is the creation of this new court of claims so fruitful also has been its work that judgment upon the titles to no less than acres bad been rendered at the date of governor report so that the entire task will probably soon be completed As might have been expected these southwestern territories are anxious to be admitted into the union of states governor pleads the cause of arizona and mr marcus A smith her delegate in congress has prepared a report on the same subject delegate smith sets in imposing array Ari zonas mines of gold silver copper iron and coal inexhaustible in extent lakes of salt springs of petro leom and the forests cedar spruce juniper ash and oak he praises her school system which he says has been made what it is by a school tax heavier than any other people bear he is credited with declaring that there are more than people in the territory with SO of taxable property but in such figures enthusiasm gets the better of arithmetic since governor hughes puts the population at only and the assessed valuation for 1893 at the total bonded debt of the territory being a little less than in these respects new mexico has a still greater claim to admission since more than three year ago the government census gave her inhabitants while governor thornton put her assessed valuation at with the indebtedness at and cash in the treasury but the population resources and finances even of new mexico may not avail to bring her into the union and still less effective would bo those of arizona at was a most unjust discrimination that admitted idaho and wyoming and kept out new mexico which had more population in 1880 than both combined but the reaction against rotten borough states is strong and new mexico Is likely to suffer from it while arizona with less than half her neighbors population has hardly a chance of admission at the present time what then shall these territories do the answer is that they unite and carue in as a single state they came into the domain of the government together as a common tract and were only separated in perhaps had that law of 1863 never been enacted they might be in the union today indeed in the forty third congress an act new mexico passed the senate by a vote of 52 to 11 and the house by a vote of to at but yet failed through a disagreement of the two bodies upon details since that time neither of these southwestern territories has come so near admission and new mexico had not in the census of 1800 inhabitants enough without the addition of arizona to equal the congress representative apportionment founded on that census but if arizona new mexico the abo objections against their admission may disappear the great state thus formed a magnificent start in population and resources tho objection may suggest itsek that their combined areas exceeding square miles would make too extensive and a state but texas la larger besides should the population greatly increase a division into two states could hereafter be effected meanwhile admission to the union would be secured without the reproach justly cast upon such states as nevada let the people of the southwest think over this mode of gratifying their aspirations |