Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-05-26
The Pinch-Beck Purch ahe,

Mexioo-though Why region OF country
should be c lied New" which Spanish ad-
ventsrers explored and conquered as early
as $40. and only twenty years after Cortez
achieved bis first victory over the forces OF
Msntezuma, or why It's capital should be
called Santa Fee Hoiy FaM) where there
is but little faith i'll anything or nybody, are
mysteries which we do not now seek to eluc.-
date. Certain it is that New Mexico is by
no means Paradise Of Dainty Delights, nor
are the morals OF it's peopie to be ex,rava-
psntly commended. A barren soil, scanned
with deep rsvlnes and canoaS, showing every
where the traces of volcanic action ard
plains, aud lofty mountains; are Its dlsun,
gushing Typographical features. Here aud
there, narrow valley invites the labors OF
/ the husband oman; but these fertile lnterspa-
ces are few 10 number, and are widely sepa-
rated. Its chief products, 50 to speak, con-
sist of ruuous PueblOS, ancient Mexican
idols, and fragments of Aztec crockery.-
| These abound The principal amusem3nts
| of it's people, are gambling, cock-h5htlng,
! and tdndangOs. Their principal employ
ment is-to do nothing! Secretary Floyd
thinks that Watch 50 INCIDENTALLY pinch
| beck is not worth keeping, and there are
many others besides Secretary Floyd who
think so too. Bot what shall we do with II?
We cannot well, at this late day, return it to
the Mexican Peter Funk, VINO palDed it
| off upon US. 1t would be scarcely worth
while to demand the money back that we
paid for it, That has been squandered long
ago. Besides, the purchase was not 80 bad
after all. California was included IN the
! bargain, and we have at least obtaIne
! possession of true metal there. A young
| and sprightly Pennsylvania lawyer, on the
strength of his appointment as United States
Attorney for the District of New Mexico, set
out 10 1853 tor the city of Santa Re. Whe-
tber the emOluments OF the office, like those
| of Ike MarvelPs Nenitian Consulate, amount
! ed, annually, to about two dollars and u halt
or whether they slightly exceeded that mag
! nfceut sum, we are not prepared 10 state
nasmuch a. L. s. DIstric. Attorney Davis Is
dscrce,y silent On the subject, although he
has given Us, in book form, the result OF his
experiences Of New Mexico aud it's people.
Mr.. Davis found riding the circuit" to be
decidedly hard work. Fifty miles at stretch
between one paltry village add another, over
arid plains, bounded by ranges Of mountains,
"whose rugged p-aks shot far up int the
|
the wild Apaches, where the market price
of good white scalps fell as much as fifty per
cent 10 value; :" incoming by little springs
issuing from rocky creVices; and either
camping out for the night IN the wilderness,
or budding together IN way-sIde cabins
where, if the fare eDten, the tlels were
abundant, afforded many opportunities tor
studying the physical formation OF that pOr-
ton of the Great American Central Basin,
| and the manners and customs ct It's inhabi-
tants. But Mr.. Davis got werrled of the
everlasting tryOieS and t0rtitLGS, the staple
/ food of the country, aud OF dung and sup
! ping al trescO, and finally became convinced
that the oftice of United States Attorney Tor
! New Mexico s no sIuecure, and that one
! trip should satisfy soy reasonable man uD-
! less he has an overweening desire % become
a modern Wandering Jew, or a new tangled
Don Quixote, travelling hther and thther in
search OF legal or other adventures" 81,
after completing his thousand miles of Judi
cial Circuit, over a country diversified by
barren mountains aud sandy plains, and in
many parts trayersed by rowing bands OF
hostile Indians, Mr.. Davis concluded TO lay
down his budding honors, his revolver and
his spurs, and return to the hey Stone State,
where knives and forks are better known
where beans are not stewed in lard or tallow,
and where lean mutton, dressed with chIt,
as red as blood and almost as hot az molten
lead" is not tavgrte dish with the veal
thy. Secretary Floyd has even a more con-
temptible opinion OF the territorial value OF
New Mexico, than Mr.. Davis has ventured to
express The Secretary suggests 10 Congress
the propriety of getting rid OF II altogether.
| lie estimates its mUngrel population. e1clu-
sive of wild Indians, ut about OlOOU souls
half Of whom, according to Nj. Davis, may
! be safely set down as being unable either u
read their catechisns or 20 write their names.
! The total value of the real estate, Secretary
! Floyd, guided by the census Of 1880, puts In
round Dumbc at s. 100000, whilst the an.
nual expense OF mautainiug large military
| force for the protection of the scanly popula-
ton OF the territory is nearly equal to halt
| this amount. lie, therefore, suggests that
"t would be better, on the score OF economy,
to induce the Inhabitants to abandon Il coun'
try which seems hardly ii, for the habtatiOn
of civilized man, by remuneratng them for
their property in money. or 10 lands situated
in some more favored REGION" aud argues
that even if the Government paid tor the
I "
J largely tie gamer by the transaction" ii
| we could divest ourselves Of II territory over
which We exercise the right ot jurisdiction,
! rs easily a. We could slip of a cumbersome
overcoa,, the advice of Secrct ary Floyd would
! be worth considering. But bow is it to re
done? We are not certain that It's inhlbI-
tants could be induced to migrate u more
favored regions. even if We agreed to buy out
their holdings at q high figure. But suppose
they should bc willing, and suppose Congress,
voted an appropriation for the purpose Of
satisfying oil demands, what then are we to
do with Arizona? Il not that "piuchbeck"
| also, The commissioners who ran the lrre
! between the United States and Mexico, were
not very iavorably Impressed with the char
acter Of the Gadsien purchase. If we aban.
doDed New Mexico, and retained ARR ,ns,
would the military expenses Of that Depart.
meut be materially lessened? Are we not
hound by the treaty Of Guadalupe HIdalgo,
10 maiutaiu force on the Mexican frontier,
sufficient TO prevent incursOns intO that l.
public by the wild tribes of the DeserI?
Does it even accord with the temper Of our
people TO take any step backwards? The
fact is, we have bought a vide stretch of ter.
ritory in lump as men sometimes buy an
odd collection of miscellaneous articles at a
Country auction, and we must take the coed
with the bad. We must regard the pure
gold OF California as npensating for the
| nF Nan Noy,,,