Events and Comments

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. BY EDWARD H. ANDERSON. Joint Statehood Bill. — The program of the Republican party in Congress to consolidate New Mexico and Arizona in the joint statehood bill must appeal to impartial observers as an unfair treatment to a territory, which, however its political limitations, has in fact a political entity. In the formation of the western territories, there was really an understanding that as fast as their population justified, they should be admitted to the Union according to the boundaries which had been established. Arizona for many years has been establishing a political identity by which she has become known. Arizona has its own individual pride, its own ambition, hopes, aspirations, and plans for the future — in a political sense. To brush these all aside, as if they were mere sentiment, is hardly fair to the territory. If its people are not numerous enough for statehood, and if it is unfair to the rest of the nation to give it statehood, with its present small population, it is willing to wait. Although New Mexico and Arizona are contiguous territories, their difference in history, and in population, make them as unlike as a western and an eastern state would be. Furthermore, there is no necessity for such a union, because the population of both territories is constantly increasing, and the Reclamation Act, intended to bring the desert again under cultivation, by impounding waters that can be used for irrigation, will make their territories both wealthy and populous at no great distant future. The people of Arizona have felt that their great reservoir projects would make their territory a most desirable home for those who may wish to take advantage of the new agricultural resources there. Again, these territories have a resource that few people have any idea of. I refer to the great quantity of subterranean waters that can be brought to the surface at a comparatively small expense. These desert lands are as rich as any to be found anywhere on earth. The markets for the products are good. The means of generating power, either by electricity or from the great oil fields of Texas or southern California, are constantly cheapening. In the midst of these great expectations and reasonable hopes for the future, it seems really hard to compel Arizona to give up her political identity, to say nothing of the inconvenience to the people in the southern part of the state, by reason of the great distance they will have to travel to reach the state capital. When it is remembered that during the last twenty-five years, ten million acres of desert land have been

420 IMPROVEMENT ERA. brought under cultivation, almost entirely by private enterprise, it will be seen that the encroachment upon the desert lands of the great west is going on rapidly. The reclamation of such an area means in dimensions a state the size of Massachusetts. Each year, the harvest value of these lands amounts to more than one hundred and fifty million dollars, and the land furnishes homes for two million people. In 1902, June 17, the federal Government passed the Reclamation Act by which the national Government itself undertakes to redeem the great arid west. Twenty-four great projects for irrigating millions of acres of land in the western states and territories have been completed, and the construction work actually begun. The cost of these projects is estimated at one billion five hundred million dollars. The Panama canal is a small affair when compared with the reclamation of the west. In view of Arizona's share of the expenditures in opening her rich desert lands, it is easy to be seen that its population may, before many years, rival in numbers most any one of the western states. Naturally Arizona would prefer to wait, to preserve her political identity, and enter the Union wholly distinct, in her state political rights, from New Mexico. By a vote of 194 to 150, the House of Representatives passed the bill, providing for the admission of Oklahoma and Indian Territory, and New Mexico and Arizona, into the Union, as two states, under the names, Oklahoma, and Arizona. The Morocco Conference.— That Germany has a double advantage in the final outcome of the Morocco conference appears quite certain, from the nature of the conference, and from the fact that Germany may well expect advantages in a conference which she has found herself able to force upon both France and England. The nature of the conference is revealed by the call which Morocco at the instigation of Germany has made. When the call which was made in Arabic was translated, it appeared that the Sultan had asked the powers not for a plan of adjusting difficulties, but simply for advice about the troubles in Morocco. Now suppose the advice given by the powers is not acceptable to the Sultan, and its acceptability will depend largely upon what Germany has to say. If the powers are all united, Germany included, then it is quite certain the Sultan will be compelled to take the advice. Suppose, on the other hand, that Germany is indifferent about what the Sultan does in the matter, and he refuses to accept the advice of the conference. Who can force it? Certainly France would not undertake to do so without the consent of Germany. The whole arrangement, when stripped of its verbiage, is simply a conference to consider the wishes of Germany in the modification of the treaty entered into between France and England for the political disposition of Morocco. The conference opened at Algeciras Spain, January 16. The Curious Political Conditions in Prussia.— Prussia is the principal state of the German empire. The Emperor is its king. The capital of Prussia is the capital of the empire; and, as a rule, the political policies of the state constitute a predominant influence upon the empire. The German parliament is

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. 421 the Reichstag, and its members are elected directly by secret ballot, arid in districts where the vote of the poor man is the same as that of the rich. The state legislature of Prussia is known as the Landtag. It is the constitution of the Landtag that the present agitation in Prussia is intended to amend. The early Prussian constitution undertook to distribute political power on the ba.sis of property qualifications and the popular vote. The lower house of the Landtag is known as the Abgeordnetenkaus, or Chamber of Deputies. It numbers 433 members who are chosen for five years by the following methods: The state is divided into districts, from each of which at least one deputy of the Landtag is chosen. In a few districts three deputies are chosen ; in a majority of the districts, two. As these districts have not been changed since 1860, to meet the changed conditions of increased population in the great cities, it will be seen that those like Berlin suffer from the great inequality which has come to exist. This, however, is not the most objectionable condition of the suffrage in Prussia, today. The deputies are not chosen directly, but by electors which are elected in the first instance from the division into which the districts are divided, each district being divided so that one elector is chosen for every two hundred and fifty souls. The primary voters, who vote for the electors, are divided into three classes. The first class consists of the largest tax payers, who collectively pay one- third of the taxes ; the second, from the next largest class of tax payers who pay one- third ; and the third class, the remaining tax payers in the district, or in the division. Each of these classes chooses its own electors for the given district. The electors then all meet and elect the deputy by a majority vote. It will be seen that, by this method, at most a few men of the first class enjoy as much power under such a system of suffrage as is enjoyed by the whole body of the third class. Quite naturally the working men of Prussia regard such a system as grossly inconsistent. They would also be pleased to enjoy a secret ballot which does not exist at the present time, the deputies being elected by an oral vote. A like condition also prevails in Hamburg, a free city, which in its relation to the empire is similar to a state. There, however, the few who, under the constitution, enjoy advantages over the masses are not content with the advantages which they now have, but are seeking to make the inequality in the suffrage still greater. Ecclesiastical Ward Changes. — Jens Nielsen was honorably released as bishop of Bluff Ward, San Juan Stake, Sunday, January 7, 1908, and L. H. Redd was chosen and sustained as bishop, with Kumer Jones and Francis Nielsen as counselors. — On January 13,JohnW.Bitton was sustained as bishop of the Riverside ward, Bingham county, Idaho — Henry [M. Reid was ordained a bishop and set apart to preside over Orangeville ward, Emery Stake, January 14. — The same day, Anthon Nielsen was ordained 'bishop and set apart to preside over Huntington ward, with J. H. Killpack and E. G. Greary as counselors; at the same time, Henry G. Mills was sustained bishop of Deseret Lake ward, with Robert Draper and W. W. Lisonbee as counselors. — The same day. Bishop Walter J. Beatie was honorably released on account of failing health, from the bishopric of the Seven-

422 IMPROVEMENT ERA. teenth ward, Salt Lake Stake, and Franklin S. Tingey was ordained and set apart to preside in his stead, with Arthur F. Barnes and David 0. Willey, Jr., as counselors.— Samuel Dugmore was ordained and set apart as bishop of Sunnyside ward, Emery Stake, January 16. — At a special Priesthood meeting held Saturday, January 19, at Grantsville, August K. Anderson was ordained and set apart as bishop of ■Grantsville ward, Tooele Stake, with William J. Clark and John W. Anderson as counselors — Henry J. Garner was ordained bishop and set apart to preside over Plain City ward, Weber Stake, January 28, with Peter Folkman and Peter B. Green as counselors. Died. — At Paradise, Utah, Monday, January 1, 1906, Edward Price, a pioneer of Cache county. He was born in Shropshire, ''England, August 4, 1818. — At American Fork, Thursday, 4th, Thomas Barratt, one of the earliest settlers of that place, born in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, March 10, 1830. — In Salt Lake City, Friday, 5th, Professor Thomas Radcliffe, one of Utah's best known and most talented musicians, born in Malta, about 70 years ago. — In Ogden, Monday, 8th, Sarah Mclntyre, one of Ogden's earliest settlers, aged 76 years. — In Salt Lake City, Tuesday, 9th, Mary M. Neal, a pioneer I'esident of the city, born in New York, July 31, 1824. — At Monroe, Sevier county, Wednesday, 10th, Alfred Newby, a pioneer of southern Utah, born in Southwick, Staffordshire, England, August 21, 1822. — At Centerville, Thursday, 11th, Dina Holbrook Drake who, as a child, accompanied her parents in Zion's Camp, in 1834. She was born in New York, October 17, 1833, and came to Utah in 1848. The death of Sister Drake removes the last, but one, of those who were in Zion's Camp. Elder . Nathan Tanner, who was an active member of that camp, still lives. — The same day, at Manti, Elizabeth R. Maiben, one of the oldest settlers of Manti. — In Ogden, Monday, 15th, Ambrose Shaw, a pioneer of 1847, born September 12, 1824, at Victor, N. Y. — At Randolph, Utah, Thursday, 18th, Hannah W. Spencer, a pioneer of that place, aged 77 years. — At Hyrum, Sunday, 21st, Joseph Smith Allen, a pioneer of Hyrum, born October 13, 1848. — At Payson, Tuesday, 23rd, Josh Hawkins, a pioneer of Payson, born August 6, 1835. — At Mendon, Wednesday, 24th, Elizabeth PettitWillie, a pioneer of 1847, born December 3, 1818, at New Rochelle, N. Y. — At Thatcher, Arizona, Thursday, 25th, Harriet A. Brown Tyler, a veteran of Kirtland days, and a pioneer of that place. She was born December 20, 1835, in Windsor county, Vt. — At Manti, Thursday, 25th, Phoebe Maiben. — At St. George, Utah, Tuesday, 30th, Hon. Robert C. Lund, President of the State Board of Equalization, and one of the leading citizens of the state. — In Provo, Wednesday, 31st, Prof. Albert Miller, of the B. Y. University, after an illness of two weeks. He was born in Thuringia, Germany, July 13, 1875. — At Pengaruddy, Wales, December 31, 1905, Mary Paxter, a faithful Latter-day Saint, nearly 101 years old. — At Sacramento, Cal., January 22, 1906, Lydia C. Phelps, wife of W. W. Phelps, born Rome, N.Y., January 14, 1827. The Case of Senator Smoot. — The reopening of this case before the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections took place on Wednesday, February 7. Quite a number of Utah witnesses had been summoned and were in attend-

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. 423 ance. Charles A. Smurthwaite, and Walter M. Woolfe, recent apostates from the Church, among them, but nothing new was elicited in the examination of the witnesses. There appears to be little interest in the affair, and the agitation comes principally from a few political opponents in Utah and Idaho. In all probaility the case will be continued early in March. Women's petitions began being presented to the Senate February 20. New King of I>enmark.— On January 29. King Christian IX of Denmark was gathered to his fathers by a sudden but peaceful death. There could be no other ;nonarch whose death would cause mourning in so many European courts, for he was known as the "father-in-law of Europe," on account of his numerous family connections with reigning houses. He was born in Schleswig-Holstein, April 8, 1818. In 1852, he was made heir to the throne of Denmark, and on the death of Frederick VII, became king, November 15, 1863. He married Princess Louise of Hesse-Cassel, in 1842, and they had six children — Frederick VIII, who now becomes king; Alexandra, Queen of England; King George of Greece; Dagmar, Dowager Empress of Russia, and whose son is now Czar; Thyra, Duchess of Cumberland ; and Waldemar, who married Marie of the French Royal House of Orleans. Frederick VIII, the new king, proclaimed ruler January 30, married Princess Louise, daugther of Charles XV of Sweden, in 1869, and they have eight children, the eldest of whom, Prince Charles, recently became King Haakon, of Norway. He is a great admirer of America, and reads closely our best literature. The late king was democratic and unostentatious in manner, lived a goodly life and a kng one, and made a reputation as a husband and father rather than as a ruler. His quiet and moral family life in Copenhagen has been a model for all the courts of Europe; and the simple tale of Christian and Louise is a pleasant story of love, good manners, honest living, and a happy life. His body was buried with the usual ceremonies, on Sunday, February 18, in the cathedral at Roskilde, among the tombs of the Danish kings who for a thousand years have found their resting place in this ancient capital of the kingdom. His favorite horse, Jussuen, was led immediately behind the hearse from the church in Copenhagen to the railway station, and, on the evening of the 16th, was shot dead, according to an ancient custom of the Danes. Passing of Apostle M. W. Merrill. — On Tuesday night, February 6, 1906, at Richmond, Utah, Elder Marriner W. Merrill, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, laid down the burdens of this life and passed to his reward among the faithful. On Saturday, 10th, his body was laid to rest, the services being held in the Richmond tabernacle. Presidents Anthon H. Lund and Francis M. Lyman with a number of members of the quorum of Twelve Apostles were present and offered touching tributes to their fellow laborer's, worth and work. There were nearly two thousand people in attendance. Apostle Merrill was born September 25, 1832, in Sackville, New Brunswick , and was the fourth son of Nathan Merrill and Sarah Ann Reynolds who had thirteen children. He came to Salt Lake Valley in September, 1853, the year after his baptism which took place in April, 1852. He settled first in Bountiful, and was later, in the winter of 1859-60, called to settle in Cache Valley, which he did, after-

424 IMPROVEMENT ERA. wards founding Richmond, of which settlement he was chosen second bishop in 1861,. holding the office for eighteen years. He engaged in railroad work on the Utah & Northern, and it was here that he made his financial start, and gave remunerative employment to the people and to his own family. He invested his earnings in land and a grist mill. He went on a mission in 1870, was chosen stake counselor to W. B. Preston in 1879, which ofSce he held for ten years, acting also under President C. 0. Card. In 1884, he was called as president of the Logan Temple; and in 1889, was ordained an apostle by President Wilford Woodruff. He went east on a genealogical mission in 1890, and in October, 1899, was appointed president of the Cache Stake of Zion. He served also in civil affairs, being a member of the legislature for two terms, 1876-78, once in the house and once in the council. He was postmaster for twenty years ; a member of the county court for ten years; a member of the Agricultural College Board for four years. His family is one of the largest in the Church. His children number fortyfive, only five of whom are dead. His sons and daughters are prominent in social and educational circles, and highly honored and industrious citizens of the community. He himself was a wise counselor, a good and honest man, thrifty, full of zeal, a worker from the beginning, who possessed superior physical, and practical power, strong character, indomitable will and splendid ability in discipline. He was true to his testimony, to the end, and had abiding faith in the gospel and in the work of the Lord. He had experienced many remarkable spiritual manifestations, and possessed a sympathetic and generous nature, supplemented by an earnestness and sincerity that constituted one of the leading charms of his personality. Political Changes.— On Thursday, February 15, William Spry, state chairman of the Republican party, took his place as U. S. marshal for Utah, vice B. B. Heywood. He resigned his former position as member of the State Land Board, and in his place Governor Cutler has nominated William J. Lynch, who was the nominee of the Republican party for Mayor of Salt Lake City, in the November election last. The death of R. C. Lund of St. George left a vacancy in the State Board of Equalization, which has been filled by the Governor by the appointment of R. R. Tanner of Beaver county, who is a Democrat. All of the new appointees give general satisfaction, and are capable and well qualified for the positions. It is announced that E. D. R. Thompson will be endorsed by the Utah Congressional delegation for Register of the Salt Lake Land Office, and that F. D. Hobbs, who has heretofore held that office, is endorsed for Receiver, an office heretofore held by George Albert Smith, who is not a candidate for re- appointment. Everybody will be pleased to know that Mr. Hobbs is to be retained in the land office. Ira N. Jacob Dead. — Ira N. Jacob, a Utah pioneer of 1848, died at Loma Colo., Feb. 9. He was born in Hancock Co., 111., Oct. 16, 1840, and was baptized into the Church at eight years of age. His father was a member of the first company of pioneers in 1847, returning and bringing his family to the Valley the following year. Although only eight years of age, Ira drove an ox team across the plains, in 1848, and was among the first settlers of Provo Valley, going to that place from Payson. He moved from Provo Valley to the Ashley country, in 1885, and came to Loma in 1902, where he died in the faith.