Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-01-11
FAIR PLAY FOR NEW MEXICO.

From the Chicago Field and Farm, one
of the leading agricultural papers OF the
whole country, we copy the following ar
ticle on New Mexico, which is to be COM
mended for its fairness and justice:
1t looks as if New Mexico was the I'M
der-dog in the fight just now. Ii so, We
are going to take the part of that much
abused territory. Several OF the metro
politan papers of Chicago and New York
are publishing slurring, not to say sland-
erous, statements about the population
and material resources of New Mexico.
The facts are not correctly given. The
arguments are specious and unfair. 1t is
stated that there are very few Americans
in the territory, and it is insinuated that
those who are there are Of not much &C.
count that Mexican "greasers" make up
the controlling element socially and polit-
ically. All this conveys an erroneous
impression. 1t is true there are many
Mexicans of the lower grade socially-not
far different in this respect from the
"poor whites" of the south. There are
also not few wealthy and educated Mex
leans. They are the larger land owners
and sheep-raisers.
But there is considerable population
of Americans who have come in from
fornia during the war OF the rebellion,
bringing contingent to re-enforce the
army Of the union. They saw much OF
the natural advantages and resources
of New Mexico, and so decided to remain
there and make their homes after being
mustered out of the United States service.
Col. Rynerson, lawyer and stockman,
now residing at Las Cruces, is fine spec
linen of this sturdy element from the far
west. The cities OF Albuquerque, Las
Cruces, Las Vegas and Santa Fe are
made up OF enterprising citizens of similar
pluck, energy and business sense; who
have come from all parts OF union.
1t is mistake to say there are no
schools. Few frontier towns have done
more for schools than those already
named. The New West commission has
founded academies at Albuquerque and
Las Vegas, and at Santa Fe similar in
stitution has grown into the beginning OF
q university. Besides these Protestant
schools, the Catholics have large institu-
tons in the territory.
One of. the most misleading of the edi-
tOrial statements referred to relates to the
material resources of New Mexico and the
prospects of its early growth in wealth
and population. A comparison is made
to Nevada, whose only resource is mining,
and whose population is diminishing.
New Mexico is richer in agricultural re-
sources, including its superior live stock
ranges, thanin mining. There is no finer
region in the United States for grapes and
many other fruits than in the Rio Grande
valley. Read the letter published in the
Farm, Field and Stockman last week, re-
lating to the stock ranges and coal and iron
mines in northern New Mexico.
There are vast coal mountains in the
southeastern part of the territory hardly
yet developed. The gold mines in the
same region are just beginning to be
known. Cattle and sheep need no shelter
in winter, and can be shipped fat to mar
ket in early spring In short, the attrac-
tons of New Mexico in soil, climate and
natural resources are such that it isstead
lily filling up with just that kind of popu-
lation which is wanted in a new country.
1t is not fair to say it is an cold country"
and has been 800 years in reaching its
present population. Ithas been compare
lively a few years since the railroads
opened it up to American occupation.