The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 74, July 1970 - April, 1971 Page: 281
616 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Book Reviews
of Congress in Washington, D.C., and in various library and archival
collections in Arizona and elsewhere.
Students of the much-neglected territorial system will be delighted
with the wealth of information relating the role of Arizona governors
to the legislature and to the Congress and national administration
in Washington. Executive messages to the legislative assembly are
presented in detail, often leaving the reader to comprehend the
interesting patterns that emerge from these sometimes tedious exami-
nations, but the gubernatorial wisdom, or lack of it, is revealed for
the discerning, and our understanding of territorial government is
increased. Wagoner's handling of Arizona's tenacious struggle for
statehood is interesting and effective, although his contention that,
in 1902, Democratic senators knew that Arizona, New Mexico, and
Oklahoma would more than likely send Democrats to the United
States Senate, is questionable as far as New Mexico is concerned.
Although Wagoner's approach in writing a traditional history pri-
marily from the standpoint of the territory produces continuity, in-
terpretation of Arizona's territorial past and her relationship to her
region and to the nation are somewhat subordinated in the process.
The most sustained analysis of Arizona territorial politics is found
in the foreword, which should be read both at the beginning and the
end of the book. Among the discussions of the national movements,
Populism and Progressivism are handled in a rather incidental way,
requiring some background on the part of the reader to fully appre-
ciate Wagoner's observations. New Mexico, Arizona's sister territory,
should have been given more attention because of their close his-
torical relationship. The use of certain New Mexican primary and
secondary materials would have further enriched the study. Even so,
the product of Wagoner's extensive research is a readable and valuable
reference book.
The University of Arizona Press is to be commended for providing
the book with a beautiful format. Photographs, maps, and political
cartoons abound, together with useful appendices and notes at the foot
of the page, where most scholars feel they belong. An unusual dust
jacket with the portraits of the sixteen governors enhances one of
the most attractive volumes for the Western library this reviewer
has seen in some years.University of Northern Colorado
281
ROBERr W. LARSON
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 74, July 1970 - April, 1971, periodical, 1971; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101200/m1/293/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.