Show our T neighbor to the ilae south by dr albert bjornson A it is not intended that this ar 7 T tic tide ae should be considered a kropa f sanda janda in behalf of 01 this state but ti rather a fulfillment of my promise 1 to my illy friend the editor to furnish a series ot of letters to the reaper which might interest or assist some f X one who contemplates a visit or a permanent residence in this far away a state and from it to gather such information as may assist him to choose accordingly while arigona adjoins utah on the south and by a direct route could bl be a comfortably reached by rail or i aut in two days it is necessary to t 1 r traverse three states in order to 4 reach the place of distillation the so called strip which could more properly be denominated no mans land through which the great colo J rado river flows cannot be crossed I 1 at this point so there is no other choice than to continue the journey westward to st thomas to las searchlight nevada N e v a d a to evegan needles No edles Cati california fornia and then to farker barker and across the colorado river riv which finally places you on arizona soil but still the tourist is a long distance dist anFe from phoenix miles it is here that the traveler meets with roads which i test the patience of the chauffeur and the endurance of his auto more I 1 so than on any of his bis miles trip i from richfield in the early part i 0 of our journey across this vast cac desert we met a lone traveler 1 whom we hailed Is this the right road to phoenix to which he re plied yes and keep right on the main boulevard rather encouraging and we lost no time in speeding along a level roadbed which however gradually lost its smoothness until nothing remained but bumps and chuck holes the gentle mans advice to keep ou the main boulevard was taken in good faith and served as an inspiration until at least our experience taught us otherwise during our jolty journey across this dreary desert we compared this with the buckham flat desert once the bumpiest bum road on earth but now a veritable boulevard where a speed of forty miles an hour could be easily maintained undaunted we kept pushing on with fond anticipation to the time when the pavements in buckeye could be reached to the weary traveler anticipation is a mighty pleasant sensation while its fulfillment its realization brings a thrill the jolts and chuck holes were finally conquered and as if by magic the beautiful buckeye section burst into view the ecstacy in r which our entire party more or less i participated may have entranced i vision but the following is what we all thought we saw and felt as we entered buckeye a picturesque panorama indeed a verdant plain as far as the eye could see once a desert now in bloom the setting sun painting the horizon with its golden glow touched with tints which the master land hand of an angelo or a raphael would fall fail to reproduce the azure blue canopy above tile the broad inter waterways wais tilled filled to the he brim with its crystal contents the perfumes of peach blossoms the rippling rills rural scenes everywhere the song birds singing ringing their sweet lullaby the angels driveway along pavements guarded on each side with stately palms standing there as silent sentinels the snug houses happy homes the glee of healthy children at play these lead the way to the capital the place of our destination lesti thia ti tion now it seems natural that eliat the newcomer new comer hailing from froin other cooler sections to the north should at first be enraptured with the glories which nature here provides but rapture like many other sensations within us is often transient and evanescent so the longer we gaze at a beautiful landscape we gradually cease to thrill and eventually even just take it for granted and no more possibly also we may pant for the less pretentious efflorescence of the place where once we lived and the many loved friends we left behind since the inauguration of arizona as a state in the 1912 been a gradually increasing interest in the possibilities which today present themselves these have become so tangible as to promise a far greater interest in this young state than at any previous time from every corner of the compass come daily enquiries the chamber of commerce is flooded with them and six stenographers are kept busy day and night to keep in touch with many who are focusing th their air I 1 thoughts upon this young republic arizona can be truly said to be the land of opportunities ni ties and although still in its infancy it is in the limelight vast enterprises are arc in the making awaiting only the necessary capital which is already secured from eastern capitalistic centers A bank in the titanic sum of capital is to be installed here in the immediate future which alone would point to the fact all that t unlimited possibilities for investments are ripe the many water projects now in contemplation would soon consume this enormous sum there is yet no end to the dry desert which spreads out in all directions from the capital only recently the mormon flat lands were snatched up and oversubscribed over subscribed inside of twenty tour four hours after being placed on the market one hundred thousand acres will then soon feel the first touch of HO 1120 and will soon bloom as the rose several similar enterprises now soon to be launched will go tar far to lick up the new bank loans of more than a billion the capitalists know what they are doing and are confident that this vast sum will be profitably invested and what is to hinder it the desert only partially brought under cultivation contains soil which for fertility is unexcelled and this vast area will eventually contain truck farms which will supply the markets of the east with everything eat eai able except possibly irish potatoes just a few words about phoenix phoenix is as yet only in its comparative para tive infancy really only eleven or twelve years old in 1912 it began its upward career and is now a pretentious city of dinha inha bl tants it has begun its career just right its ben bea aeiful bouses were not built for speculation but for homes wherein dwell happy liappa families imbued with that civil pride which makes for good citizenship its arub lic ile buildings its schools chur churches clies and hospitals and business hauses possess architectural taste and massiveness si veness which point to high ideals which the casual observer could not fail to appreciate ariona for arl ari is the new dew motto which wise leader leadership shily is endeavoring to impress if this motto were generally neally ge observed in all the states it would be conducive towards greater growth than is possible where knockers predominate As touched upon in the early part of this communication the great vital issue before this state at present is to secure sufficient waters for fey the two million acres which the state contemplates to set aside and hopes bopes to place on the market just as soon as eais can be accomplished how to accomplish this Is now the question the roosevelt reservoir the largest and most massive in tho the world contains only sufficient supply fo tor r the territory already occupied thus new enterprises must bo be set on an foot how can this be done the of opinions and the opposition manifested in the recent state legislature to the adoption and ratification of the colorado river compact stands as a barrier and while some levelheaded level headed men approve of it it is liable to become a great stumbling block aga against dinst further agricultural expansion on a large scale for the time being at least it seems however impossible to conceive that the leaders would refuse to consider f in its true light the adoption of a plan which through just and proportionate distribution of water and power between betwee ll the states interested is so vital to the interests of this entire southwestern empire but even though at present only local irrigation enterprises were to be carried out arizona tor ter some time to come will be on the up grade and she cordially welcomes the newcomer to participate in tho the thousand and one opportunities Is for pro flyable investments which now prep pre j sapt ant themselves ta be continued |