Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1889-09-20
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVEN
TION.
(Deming Headlieht,l

into A|cciSA"si'c AooonUiy W phO-
pare q constitution for New Mex
leo, met in Santa Fe on Tuesday
last, and is now in session. 1t il
apparently hoped by the gentlemen
who compose that body, that the
Territory will be admitted to state.
hood under the instrument they
have met to formulate.
There are a number OF able men
in the convention, and that 1t will
make q good constitution, If il
makes any, there is no reason to
doubt. With all the facilities its
members have at hand, there could
be no possible excuse for failure
in that respect.
While, however, 1t is unquestion-
able that a msjority OF the people
would endorse movement for state
hood under other than existing con-
ditions, they certainly have not en-
dorsed this movement, but on the
contrary have emphatically con-
demnedlit In advance, as the follow
ing shows:
The Territorial vote in 1883 for
Joseph was l7,l02; for Otero, 15.-
5O4; total, 32,606. For delegate to
the Constitutional Convention, g.
S4l votes were cast, leaving rs, 765
against the convention.
These figures are from the Of
fetal records IN the Office of the
Secretary of the Territory, and
therefore indlsputable. They show
that out Of 32,606 electors who vo-
ted for delegale to Congress in
November last, but 5,84l voted at
the election for members OF this
Convention-th that but little more
than one-sixth of the vote OF the
Territory was cast; and 1t is well
known that a number OF the gentle
men chosen from the several coun-
ties are opposed to statehood, and
that in one county, (Taos, the en-
tire delegation of six was selected
because opposed to the movement,
and will not be In attendance at the
convention,
A conspi cuous fact shown by
these figures is that the movement
is not endorsed by even the Repub-
Iican party Of the Territory-that
out of the 1854 Republicans who
voted for theii candidate for Con-
gress in November, nearly ten thou
sand refused to endorse this scheme.
Added to the more than seventeen
thousand Democratic vote of last
Fall, this makes a total Of 26,
voters who refused to take any part
in the election for delegates to the
convention, aud who thus entered
their protest against the entire
project.
1t cannot be said that tins was the
result of an Indifference bora of the
'act that there was but one ticket
N the field and therefore no contest
over the election OF the delegates,
'or It is we'll known that strenuous
efforts were made in every county
1y the friends of the movem ant to
,ecure full vote, at least of the
Republican party; and the reviling
Il the Democrats of the Territory
~ the Republican press and lead
RS, for refusing to participate in
lie election, we're continuous and
litter.
AS sample of these efforts, and
4 the deception practlced to secure
full vote, in one county, (Valen-
ia the people were assured that
{ they would but vote. they would |
ecure statehood, and that then all
heir debts would be cancelled and
hey would "begin anew" upon the
omission Of the Territory into the
Union; and it was upon the
trength OF this assurance, appar-
ntly, that tie county of Valencia
asst much larger vote in proper
ion to voting strength than any
ther county in the Territory.
In two other counties, Bernalilio,
nd Dona Ana, spurious tickets, &