A potential university and normal school were considered of lesser importance with a common line of the day being, "Who ever heard of a professor buying a drink?
About 2000 Mormon settlers had arrived in Arizona Territory during 1884, raising their totals to 5000 settlers, and their political opponents suspected the LDS Church was trying to create a large enough voting block to take over Arizona (at the time a majority of Idaho's legislature was Mormon and the church had been able to determine Wyoming's delegate to Congress).
"[4] Prior to the legislative session, a group of Tucson businessmen had raised a US$5,000 slush fund to lobby for the return of the territorial capital.
[5] The delegation from Pima County was delayed by flooding on the Salt River, forcing a detour through Los Angeles and Sacramento, California, before they could reach Prescott.
The detours taken to avoid flooding on the Salt River resulted in the members from Pima County requesting US$330 each for the 2,200 miles (3,500 km) journey to and from Prescott.
Ainsworth, a resident of Prescott, for US$225 in travel expenses under the belief he could claim a journey from any point in the territory he represented.
Other concerns raised included legislation to prevent Texas cattle fever from spreading to Arizona and creation of a permanent militia.
Tritle also used the occasion to call for the United States to purchase land from Mexico for the purpose of providing Arizona with direct access to the Pacific Ocean.
A federal grand jury in Tucson found the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature exceeded the $4000 legal limitation for operating expenses by $46,745.
[16] A latter grand jury meeting in Prescott reported the legislature had authorized US$19,967 in printing expenses and spent US$3,077 to deliver territorial newspapers to legislators.
The session was also found to have exceeded federal staffing limitations by employing fifty-one clerks, eight janitors, and four pages.