23rd Arizona Territorial Legislature

The 23rd Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The session ran from January 16, 1905, till March 16, 1905.

Governor Alexander Oswald Brodie was entering his final days in office as the legislative session began. Brodie resigned as governor on February 14, 1905, to return to his military career. His replacement, Joseph Henry Kibbey, was sworn into office on March 7, 1905.

The drive for the territory to achieve statehood continued. A proposal to merge Arizona and New Mexico territories and admit the combined entity as a single state had been made in the United States House of Representatives in 1902. The proposal had been initially defeated in the House but had won support in the United States Senate and a final resolution on the proposal was still to be determined.

The legislative session began on January 16, 1905, and ran for 60 days.

Governor Brodie gave his address on the session's opening day. He began by describing the territory's financial condition was in the best condition it had ever been. Despite this he still urged tax reforms. The territory's mines had an assessed value of US$4,442,995 and paid US$178,000 in taxes to county and territorial governments. At the same time estimated annual output from the mines was estimated at $38,700,000. The governor wished to have the assessment methodology changed to base values on the gross output of territorial mines.

Besides discussing tax issues, Governor Brodie cautioned the session about the "growing evil of wife desertion" and asked for legislation to prevent the spread of the problem. He also recommended construction of a sanatorium to treat the many people suffering from tuberculosis immigrating to the territory. As the ill were coming from all parts of the county, the governor favored the "General Government" pay for the construction.

After taking office, Governor Kibbey sent a letter to the session asking for referendum on joint-statehood proposal.

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