Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1889-02-01
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Congressman Toole Of Montana, when
speaking on the territorial admission bill,
recited the woes of Montana in an elo-
quent manner, and his statement Of facts
applies to every territory as we'll as Mon
Jana. In telling what congress had done
for Montana he said:
It has given US system Of courts in
herently wrong, and which can never be
made suitable to large communities.
It has regulated the number Of our
judges, grossly inadequate in every in
stance, resulting in the delay and in many
cases the denial Of justice. It has arbi-
trarily fixed the time when our local leg
islature must meet and adjourn, to our
great damage and Inconvenience.
It has denied as the authority to call an
extra session Of our Legislature without
the consent Of the preadeat, adding un-
told burdens TO dependent people. 1t
has reserved the right to invalidate any
law which our legislature may pass, there
10y destroying that full faith and credit
which oar Legislature ought to command.
II has hound US band and foot by law
which restricts these growing and ambi-
tious communities in the expenditure Of
money for public improvements.
1t has declared what we shall teach in
our public schools, and manifested lack
of confidence in us in other instances of
legislation too numerous to mention.
1t has attempted to stiGe our industries
by prohibiting ms from selling our mining
properties IN foreign markets, thus iaYiag
upon us an embargo not borne by citizens
Of the states.
1t has exempted railroad and the i'm
provements on its right of way for $40
miles from taxation, furnishing another
evidence Of the gross inequality of citizen
ship IN and out of the territory.
It has withheld from us onr dowry of
lands which belongs to our school funds,
and refused TO give Us any kind Of a su.
pervision or control over it until we become
a stale, and then sets deliberately to work
to prolong the time when that event shall
happen.
1t has professed to give as representa-
tive in the lower house of congress, hut
denies to us vote. the only element o
representation which gives character or in
| Gt,a,,oa 20 a tna,,,i,ar
1t has left US without any kind OF repre-
seutation in the senate, and remits us t
the beggerly methods of the lobbyist.
1t has imposed on us with an iron hanC
the obligations and burdens of citizenship
while 1t withholds its corresponding bene
fits by steadily denying to us participation
IN the framing Of legislation and the righ
Of suffrage in national Legislation.
l; has refused to appropriate the sal
aries provided hy law for the hungry Of
tcials whom it has been pleased to send u
aud compels them to accept measly sun
, in full com mpensation, notwithstanding al
overlooking treasury.
1t has refused to appropriate sniicien
money to extend the public surveys In tn
territories, but has doled out annually n
driblets, which have ofttimes been coyere
back into the treasury, leaving our bounC
aries underlined and our titles insecure.
1t has failed to cause to be surveyed, 81
o lected and conveyed to the grantees tt
lands falling within railroad grants with
the the territory. as required by law
whereby millions of acres of land owne
by rich corporations have escaped tax
ton.
1t has persisteutly refused to pass Law
Z by which the timber or timber lands in Ii
territories, except Washington, may
O leased Or purchased, protesting, howeve
- 10 give the right to actual settlers to c.
and remove the same for domestic pu
poses, while it has hedged in this privilel
! with an odious and impracticable system
rules and regulations which has results
| in harassing our citizens with expensi
civil and criminal proceedings, bas
WDOlty on TUE tA-pdttu HthtS"'rie9 Vi
crouching and obsequous special agent
spy, who has been taught to believe tn
his term of Office will be measured by t
extent Of his activity in stirring up stri
1t has by the organization of these t.
ritores invited the settlement and ocC
pancy of the frontier, upon the prom
and obligation that our personal proper
should be protected against depredatiC
by hostile Indians. Those promises ha
been honored more in the breach than
= the observance. The history of our ca
u settlement is red with the blood Of
pioneers who blazed the trails of civil
leo tion in these remote lands by the lu
light of their burning homes, which WI
down in ashes before the mereless sava
Millions OF dollars of unpaid claims, n
dewed by age and growing out Of th
atrocities, are piled up, while the her
of these troublous times, overcome "
Ia the weight of years and no longer able
y conquer their feelings, have gone to j
" the silent majority, leaving destitute y
ows and orphans to keep alive before c