Upon my arrival at Prescott they were perfectly disgusted to learn that
I had already been declared a candidate, and was likely to get the votes
of the people. The political machine had not then been organized, and
the people had some say in the elections.

The election was held in due time, and I was elected the first delegate
to Congress from Arizona.

The "carpet baggers" worked the Territory for all it was worth, as is
evidenced by the public debt, which is three times as great as any State
or Territory in the Union, _per capita_. The Capital was moved from town
to town, as a political factor in the election of delegates, but now
rests at Phoenix, in the Salt River Valley, where it will permanently
remain, as no other place in the Territory can ever rival Phoenix in the
abundance of all that contributes to the comfort and happiness of life.
The soil is fertile, the climate healthful, and with water storage in
reservoirs a city will grow equal to any on the Nile.

At this time there was not an inhabitant on Salt River where Phoenix now
stands, and the Salt River Valley was a desolate and abandoned waste. It
had been occupied some thousands of years ago by a race who cultivated
the land by irrigation, and built houses and cities which have gone to
ruin. The most diligent search has developed but few evidences of the
extent of their civilization. They had not advanced very far, as they
left no relics of either iron, copper, or steel. The land in cultivation
would have supported a population of from fifty to a hundred thousand
souls.

It is an excusable ambition for a man, especially in the Western
country, to desire the honor of representing his State or Territory in