[5] With the cities of Phoenix, Prescott, and Tucson employing a total of three police officers, crime rates on a per capita basis were still lower in Arizona than on the East Coast.
"[5] Governor was concerned about tax avoidance, saying "The burden of taxation is pt to rest most heavily upon the citizen of small and fixed holdings, rather than upon the one possessed of large wealth which is variously invested, and therefore more intangible and difficult to reach.
The visits soon reached nuisance levels and the House, as a joke, passed a bill making it a felony to publish or edit a newspaper within the boundaries of the territory.
The change the side effect of creating a legal loophole which overturned most past murder convictions and forced charges against those awaiting trial to be dropped.
Dozens of murders were left unpunished, including those allegedly committed by the Apache Kid and Black Jack Ketchum's gang members.
[16] The President of the Council, Fred G. Hughes, embezzled roughly two-thirds of this appropriation to pay off gambling debts and was imprisoned in Yuma Territorial Prison before being paroled.
[17] As the session drew to an end, tensions between the House of Representatives and Governor Franklin, a gold Democrat in a predominately free silver territory, grew.
[18] The cause of the animosity was a series of vetoes issued by the governor, including bills granting tax reductions to irrigation projects, mine smelters, and sugar beet factories along with pay increases for county employees.
[7] This resulted in the House passing a resolution sponsored by L. O. Cowan declaring "the best interests of the territory demanded an immediate change in the office of governor.
"[14] The Council responded by tabling the resolution and passing another proclaiming "that it has implicit confidence in the integrity and ability of out present governor, the Honorable B. J.