Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-03-25
THE SCHOOL QUESTION.

The Santa Fc NEW MEXICAN promises
shortly to furnish the public some inter
ostiug information in the way of eXplaln-
ing why the uill providing for the pay
mont OF 50 900 worth OF So-callel unit
tia claims OF 1850 failed to pass. Such
an explanation would indeed be interest
ing to the people OF New Mexico. Per
haps the New MEXICAN may be able to
explain Why the bill providing a good
public school law failed 10 pass.-thlorMe
Black Range.
THE New MEXICAN can and will. The
school law, which, by the way, vas Il
good enough measure, except probably
lust a little too far advanced ilr New
Mexico. having been copied mostly from
the Iowa school law, in force in rich
and powerful state, and in that state hay
ing been in force but q few years, vas
defeated for these reasons:
The law had been passed in the house
and in the council had been amended.
. Some OF the amendments were good and
wholesome, and none OF them bad. Dur
ing the discussion OF the question Coun-
cilmen Bernard Rodey, an Albuquerque
Mugwump, whom the Republicans OF the
county OF Bernalillo had unfortunately
elected to the council, made an unWar-
ranted and bitter attack on the Catholic
religion, and q very foolish and unneces-
sary argument in favor OF free non-sec-
tartan schools. This aroused strong
religious feeling and the fourteen mem
bers of the house of native descent voted
against the amendments and killed the
bill.
Further on Gov. Ross threatened III a
very unbecoming and undignifed manner,
to veto the bill providing for the establish
ment OF the agricultural college, OF the
school OF mines, OF the insane asylum,
and of tho university OF New Mexico, I'M
less the bin passed. This was very fool
ish and did great damage. 1t created
opposition, friction and bad feeling, and
Inuue VOTES agaluSI tIlc mn loi''N va 90
count Of the governors action and partly
because there was opposition TO the omni-
bus bill for the establishment of the in
stitutionS named above becoming law.
OF our own knowledge we can give the
names OF strong men from San Miguel,
Bernalillo and other counties who worked
against the school bill Tor either one or
both the reasons stated.
1t is all very well for Gov. Ross now to
address open letters to the people OF New
Mexico calling for united action topcttlon
congress Tor the passage OF n school law
for New Mexico. That is the nerest
buncomc and trash and ne knows it ii
is simply time wasted.
1t is all very well ior Councilman Eodey,
through the columns OF papers who do not
knew any better or do ii out OF spite and
ieaulosy, to attack the New MEXlCAN, but
that does not alter the situation and does
not relieve him OF having, unwttngly
perhaps, contributed largely to the dtleat
/ OF the bill.
/ 1t makes deuced little difference when
! ever man is shot and killed, to the dead
man, whether some fool killed him acct
dentaly, or whether some scoundrel sho
and killed him. He is dead, That
about the case with the school law,
The files OF the New MEXICAN SHOW
for years consistently in favor OF pubh
schools, free, non-scctarian, American
public schools, and is in favor OF sucl
schools at this writing and will ever be
But the New MEXICAN is not in favor o
attacking any religious denomination O.
any class of people on account OF theil
religion. And the New MEXICAN fully be
lieves that, with the proper kind OF gov
ernor two years hence, the 29th legisla
tive assembly will pass comprehensive
good and advanced non-sectarian schoo
! law.