20th Arizona Territorial Legislature

The 20th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session ran from January 16, 1899, to March 16, 1899.

Myron H. McCord had replaced Benjamin Joseph Franklin as Governor of Arizona Territory on July 29, 1897. With the Spanish–American War approaching, McCord had resigned to join the Rough Riders. Oakes Murphy had been sworn in as his successor on August 1, 1898. At the time of the session, efforts to build a territorial capital building were underway with the construction contract being awarded on February 13, 1899.

The session began on January 16, 1899, and ran for 60 days. During this time, the legislature passed 69 new laws.

Governor Murphy's address was thorough and straight forward. After praising the Arizona volunteers who had fought in the Spanish–American War, he provided an overview of territorial finances. On the issue of taxation, Murphy felt large corporations were not paying their fair share. Toward this end he argued that the owners of small properties paid taxes based upon the full value of their properties but large businesses had the means to disguise the true value of their holdings and thus reduce their tax burden.

In other matters, Murphy recommended an overhaul of the territorial legal code. Possible reforms to how the territorial Board of Control operated were discussed. He also suggested the territory implement women's suffrage. Not wishing to see a territorial building in Flagstaff used as either a reform school or insane asylum, the governor asked for the building to be used as a normal school. Murphy recommended the Pioneers' Historical Society collect as much materials as practical or else "all living witnesses will soon be gone and the opportunity lost of obtaining relative information." Finally, the governor reminded session that they should send a memorandum to the United States Congress if they wished to increase the size of the legislature from 24 to 32 members in the House and 12 to 16 in the Council as it would take an Act of Congress to realize the change.

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