Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-12-18
To the Editor of the New Mexican.

To the Editor of the New Mexican.
SANTA FE, Dec. 1S.-In connection
with the very gratifying and pleasing an
nouncement, in your issue OF the 18th
inst, to-wit, that President Harrison had
nominated Hon. s. B. Elkins to be secre-
tary OF war, beg to remind the people of
the city of the Holy Faith (Santa Fe), and
those OF the territory in general, of his very
able maiden speech made IN the house of
representatives at Washington, after being
elected delegate, June, 1874, on the
admission of New Mexico as state into
the union, by quoting from said speech.
After he had made mention of New Mexi.
co.'s population, resources, education, etc.,
ETC., he stated substantially as follows:
"New Mexico has been in her pupilage
about twenty six years. She has had her
delegates during that period on this floor,
who, like other delegates, in and out of
season, have implored and importuned
the general government for attention to
the wants of the people, showing that
their necessities were great; but for the
most part congress has been deaf to their
entreaties.
"By applying for admission, New Mex
leo tesliiies her willingness to relieve you
of the expense of continuing in existence
territorial government, aad enables you
to reduce your annual appropriations at a
time when economy and retrenChment is
the popular demand. She has shown her
self amply able to support state govern
ment and keep her credit; and above and
beyond all, she has shown her devotion !
to our institutions, and her fitness to be- |
come member of the Union, by giving
up the lives of some of her noblest cons to
maintain the one and preserve the other.
One reason argued against the admission
of New Mexico has been her large Mex
iCan population; unlike many OF our own
people, more fortunate, who had been
born and educated under our flag, the
Mexican population did not hesitate, did
not doubt, but saw their duty clear;
and when the proclamation of the
president of the United States came
calling for troops for help; and when the
cause of the union looked dark and doubt
full, and when Gen. Sibley's trained SOL
diers from the confederate armies were
already on the soil, these people us one
man lied under their adopted flag and
fought calamity to preserve the Union
iutO NHlCu Guey uUN Se6h duullsSlOll.
How we'll they did their duty let the
graves at Fort Craig and Peralta, on the
banks OF their own loved Rio Grande,
and at Apache canon testify. They loved
the Union well enough to fight for it, and
the Union ought to love them enough to
adopt them as her sons in truth and in
TACT. But apart from all these considera-
tons, which it would seem were Of them
selves overwhelmingly sufficient to induce
congress to at once provide for the admis-
sion of New Mexico into the Union, claim
her right to admission on still higher
grounds and for stronger reasons, which
can not, certainly ought not, to be dis
regarded by congress. claim it by virtue
Of the stipulations of the treaty Of Guada-
upe Hidalgo, and the promise and assur-
ances of our government previous to the
ratification of the same"
Of this treaty Mr.. Elkins gave a full
and interesting history. He then treated
of the history OF New Mexico, of it's sau-
brlous and bracing climate, its agricul-
,ural, pastoral and mineral resources, its
capacity as wine producing country, and
with the following eloquent and
prophetic words, to wit;
The Rocky mountains not only main
ain peculiar relation to the great plains
hat lie between their base and the Missou-
ii river so ably set forth by Prof. WILDER,
out with the whole country. The Missis-
3ippi valley and the Pacific coast are no
onger divided by an inseparable barrier;
hey have shaken hands across the back
bone of the continent, and become welded
n a common interest, the ceremony hav-
ng been performed in the presence OF
jhe majestic and snow clad peaks of the
Sierra Nevadas, who stood as the grand
and silent witnesses of this happy union,
which has been recently more closely
by bands of iron.
1.-The Rocky mountains rest on vast coal
beds. Here, in the not very far future,
We must 20 for coal, the great desidera-
5um of our civilization, the basis Of al
most all power aud nearly of all wealth,
without which the world would suddenly
stop, but with which it will move on to
new and astonishing conquests in science,
art, mechanics and manufactures.
"By an unnatural usurpation, cotton
was once called king, but time and the
natural laws of commerce have served to
iispel this de]usion, and coal, with his
iron brow, has come to the front, and
by unanimous consent been crowned
king forever; and from his dark throne,
with his brother, iron, Yields the sceptre
Of empire over all human industries, his
realms being measured only by mans
In the United States the
home and throne of this king is in the
Rocky mountains; his children live and
rule in the Alleghanies and the Mississip-
nj vallaya