The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-02
THE NEW MEXICO SCHEME.
SNORING UP THr TERRIToRY As TT
ICTUILLY IS.
Graphic Picture Of Its IGNORANT Mexican
PopuluiiOn-IhcN tutc Hill u vuScaIIy Ring
Jub-the Mormon Jub-Dnrk Ru,uors.

'"i iVr 'uc uuIllsSion OF new mexico as u state !
has pissed the seuate, aud It Is said the House
Committee on Territories will report 1t favora- |
bly, pcople are beginning to think more serious- |
~ ahU'lt a project which hereto ore has seemed
too visionary to suggest much sober reflection.
To man VINO has spent some time i'm the rerrl.
tory, ana had an opportunity to study its people,
their condition. their habits, their social and 90
litical status. tue idea Of State Government
being organized here IL simply too absurd 70 hc
entertained. Uuder no circumstances could
CONGRESS, With even half knowledge OF the ex-
istlnG state Of things here, confer upon these
people the rights and responsibilities OF state
hood, except for the lowest of partisan ethical
reasons.
In The first place, out OF n population ~ less
than 10000 there are not 5000, all told, wlo are
Americans, or can speak tho English language.
This Is well known, notwi ;hstan1ing the mag
nhcent numbers claimed by MIR Elkins In his
speeches. The population Ia Mexican In senti-
ment, in Ideas Of government, In morals IN
eve ythng The Ignorance and servIlity u the
masses are appalling. There Is no such thing as
education among them. A Mexican q ordinary
grace In life who can read and write Is d curios-
itv. The vast ma jority grOvel In extreme pow
erty aud want. They are practically poems still.
They borrow the seed for Their crops Ia the
spring, nd food to 1.-Two on until the crops ma
ture, aprreinlt 10 pay Tor them at the rate Of two
for one in the fnl. Inc result Of this Is that thoy
are never out Of deut. and the jew storekteper
or the wealthy Don owns them body anu soul.
Prejudice "a ninst Americans md American in
8 buttons Is a. strong In the remoter 81. tie
ments as II was Ne1rs ago. They use the same
sort 4 wooden sticks for pillow. that were In
use III Egypt AtUO years %. aud these i'm ale-
m MS aIe drawn by oxen with a stick tied the
horns, inste ID ola yoke. save In VI .ces whore
Americans have settled and Introduced mod rn
Implements OF agriculture, plOughs and har-
rows are unknown.
THE PESIrENrEs.
A noteworthy indication Of tho Intelligence of
these people Is found In some uf their religious
practices, chief among whicn are hose OF sect
who cal themselves Penil which ere Of so
extraordinary aud revolving n nature that II Is
diiicult for an Eastern man to believe the nc
counts Of their doings until he has seen them
with his own eyes lhls order IL very extensive
among the natives, aud IN many OF the rural di'-
tic embraces tho gteIter part Il the popu-
iailon. though lust what their religious be-
lief Is have not learned, The society Is one of
great secrecy. ana OF IN ir secret customs aud
actions IL Is impossible to obt In INFORMATION
Their leading iuea. VI we can judge from their
pubic ceremonies. Is tNat soll-tnlicted torture
possesses some -. ninent virtue. Accordingly,
every year during Lent these fanatics 90 into
season Of eNitaordinary penance. + en- COM
muu ~ of brm has n use or chapel devoted
to Their rites, and, from time to time, parties
emerge iroW these houses b reiOotcd and
st iJped To the waist, an armed with bundles
| OF branches ~ the thorny, u lisonous cactus.
! These are tod lfmly together az one end, and
then fastened to stick u convent mt length,
| like an uld-i snioncd Hail. Using the stock for
]
b.cNsW vita tnc cactus branches, marching along
! TO the music OF - M b roarou. ch ut. rms l.
kept up until their backs are hideous masses Of
! gore, ne blood SITE ming Gown AZ every stroke.
and tue mauglei nesh IT and orli4. "a by tue
horrible Instruments Of torture. SO tn you
would scarcely rec0An 70 IL as part oft :, human
/ being During the l.rtiew DAYS Of GOO Lent set
sn saw -eNerl 4 o. e-e iartie- mare llus along
ENGAGED IN this horrible work, " winch NY ce-
! scriptiOu falls u convey huN Adequa idea.
/ Iuese fortunes freq eniN result 1T ul..
/ They alSp make enormous crosses 81 heavy
/ timLers, under the weight OF when a strong
man can barely stand. and tbs penttcnt takes IL
on his back aud carries Il ABOUT until he fdls
down with exhaustion. tho cross On tuDut hin.
often In IN, condition, At the peni snts own
request, Others come ana WIN MIN with cHCiu
aud tue sl rp 81 ks Of the spanish oIyouet un-
tai he faults aw.N. When they get deeply eX-
cited toward the close Of the penif entail sc son
! they whip me nselves ON all Iaiis IT the BODY
until scarceiv - square inch of surf - LETT
which ms not been mangeJ by the cruel thorn
OF the cactus.
PREPosTERous IDEA.
when II IL known that these shocking rites
are ps.ctised regularly every Ner ~ tho a. mas
| OF peopi~, ana IL every township aid hamlet IN
tn territory. vii 8 II to ue though 81 tue pfI-
| jcct of comforting the privileges If a state y
| erltncnt upon pc pie WHO pr .ctse Or permit
! such uarOaIity. aud placin- the representatives
oil such "A PEE pie ~ the senate Of the United
| States, "a an equal footing with " YORK; 1t
| is simply prepusterous. The scueme Is not
urged. however. IN benalf Of the people OF New
| Mexico. Ley don't ~ant a Siate-tne Ne XII rs
| because they don't understand the change ana
| hate innovation, and the lew Americans Dectus 3
they have to paw nearly all tue taxes. which
would be increased mar y-fold under the pro-
posed new order Of things. 1t Is simply glg III
tic ltinu iob in the Interest Of .e1 OF unscrupil-
! lous men, who want the Increase Of puwer aud
I Oppor. UNITY which a state Government wound
afford to enrich themselves a. the expense Of
, the pe Jple.
Tho disclosures made by your 1T Lake cor
respondent In reference 10 "a proposed Mormon
| movement upon New 'iexlco has cre ted a gen
! tral sens ition. OF course, the leaders OF the
| Ring say II is a lie, and Genounce 1t with sus.
pcious energy. But there are numo"r OF cir
| cuinstances whicl have been noted here, which
| add To the evidence offered by your core.
| spondent. IL IS well-known fact that some
seven hundred Mormon families nave, during
the past winter moved In TINS objection, aud
are now located on the Colorado Chquto, about
| on the border between Arizona and New Mexico.
Two Mormon bishops have been here r some
tIme, In intimate relations with Gov Axtell. VINO
! il now openly charged with being oisnOp in
! Brgham's church. People IN this Territory now
| recall AXteis famous letter written to the salt
| l. he HcTiLi last summer, aud signed Eel
| Obispo," watch created 80 much speculation AS .
It's meaning, and called on such eyere criticism
from the press. The mysterious illusions T. the
"great question OF tue hour; to tue ierrtorf
beng well suited TO the purpose;" anu being
easily approached from the Northwest, &C. IA
connection with the fact that Axtel, directly
on coming here az Governor, explored ever,
part Of the Territory thoroughly. are now more
easily understood, ana We watch curiously for
further developments IL Is fact wor.hy Of
note IN relation t. this Norman scheme tn /
one ~ the principal Spanish papers In the Ter
moni- IN. aud declared It's Preference Tor Nor
mon doctrines ana practices.
THE PARTITION or LAND.
| The Ring party has already begun lts WORK
under the Infamous law for the partition ol
land, which cuts OF the interests Of non-rcsi.
dents, minors, and all parties whom tue plaintn
NAV declare to be unknown, upon u notice OF
thirty DAYS In some newspaper. They nave
brought suits In nearly every county 10 obtain
tue sale OF the large trdci Of lhnd held under
MekIcdn grants on the demand Of parties wn0
have purchased small interests. The program ne
set forth by your utHh CORES pondent Is being
thus followed almost to the letter.
there are dark rumors all Jat in reRlrd to the
mau agemHnt Of the surveyor Generals Office
here. Large appropriations are made every ycal
by Congress Tor survt v of public lands Ia New
Mexico, and fat contracts are let Tor the work
under wnich the money IA soon expended, bu.
little work done. IL IL broadly limited that
! proper inycstgation would disclose some ficl
examples Of Belkuapism. II Is understO II thll
those getting contracts Tor pubic surveys re
Obliged 10 make n liheTa "diyvJ at lie dquar
tiers. paying a heavy blackmail in order to gel
Their ungeTs In Uncle Samuei's pie a Congress
siunai committee would unenrtn some interest
ing facts In TINS matter, aud at the 4 me time
pee . mo the United States District Attorney Z
ONCE might not he without good results, es
pecially the committee could easily nnd ou
the devices by which that Official manages 10
make the lees Of ms ONCE reach the max nun
allowed by law, and now the United state
Grand Jury is used as a political engine oi un
f.alA