Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1892-05-26
CONGRESS And new MEXICO.
Delegate Joseph Talks of the Shabby
Manner in Which this Territory
Has Been Treated.
No statehood this Session The Allen
Act-NO Favorable Legislation
for New Mexico.

|, i'iA+NN En- way ~ w uSIIlIBlOD EDt
cial dispatch to the Times says: Dele
gate Joseph, of New Mexico, is feelin
very much put out with the action of tn
present congress regarding legislation /
the interest of that territory. Early i
the present session Mr.. Joseph introduce
a bill providing for the admission of Ne,
Mexico, and when it Was being consid
cred by the committee on territories mad
very able and conclusive argument VIII
the territory should be admitted to state
hood, and as result of this argumen
the bill was reported favorably and place,
on the calendar.
Ever since that time Mr.. Joseph ha
been uDtiring in his efforts to secur
some action by the committee on rule
looking to securing special order anC
calling up the bill for early consideration
lie succeeded in part, in securing consen
OF Speaker Crisp to such course. Thi,
was about the lst of March, and tht
speaker told him that possibly about tht
middle OF April something would be done
in the matter.
The time came and Mr.. Joseph re.
doubled his efforts in behalf of his con
stituents, and with what result is well
| known, as it is now after the middle OF
! May and still nothing has been done,
Mr.. Joseph has about given up all hone
of securing any action upon his bill this
season.
But the thing that makes Mr.. Joseph
more angry than anything else is the fact
that he is unable to get the sub.commit-
tee on public buildings and grounds to
consider resolution lie offered few
days ago, looking to the reimbursement
OF the territory by the national govern
ment for the loss sustained by the burn.
ing of the state capitol at Santa Fe. Mr..
Joseph, in speaking about this matter,
said: 81 have about made up my mind
that the government does not Intend 10
enact any legislation favOriug the terri
tory OF New Mexico In fact, ever since
1856, when the Harrison act was passed
restricting the appropriations hy the terri.
torlal legislature to per cent Of the value
OF the taxable property in the territory,
followed the next year by the Alien Act
the territory has had hard time to meet
its expenses. This latter act has been
the means OF losing to my territory alone
over $40 O,OO0,0 900, as it prohibits the in
vestment OF any foreign capital there If
this act were repealed We might be able
to get along as we have for many years
without any financial aid from the gov
ernment, especially for the erection of the
necessary public buildings"
Mr.. Joseph continued by saying that
the territory of New Mexico had built all
the public buildings within its boundaries
without one dollars aid from the govern
ment. 1t had built its capitol building,
second to none west of the Mississippi
river, at an expense OF $500, 1000; a state
penitentiary at $250,000; school of
mines, a building which is usually built at
government expense, even in the states,
at cost of $4,000; a blind and insane
asylum at $4,000; normal university at
100000; besides school building in
every precinct and court house in every
county in the territory, any one Of which
cost not less than $4,000. All this with
out aid from congress, and yet when an
effort is made to secure some action on a
for the relief of the territory it
8 Impossible to get even the sub-Commit-
,ee OF the committee on public buildings
and grounds to act.
Leu WIN all tnese drawbacks the finan
'ial standing of the territory of New Mex.
co is better than that of any other in the
lnlon, Its territorial script being worth
100 cents on dollar.
The money raised by taxation on
he taxable property OF the territory
barely sufficient to pay the current
expenses, and the territory isunable to do
lnything looking toward the rebuilding of
he capitol, because Of adverse legislation,
without a special act of congress. New
lexico is fairly entitled to some aid from
he national government, and in no better
ray can this be extended than by the
ppropriation of the 100000 for the re-
ullding OF the capitol. This would be
ut a drop in he bucket for what the
arritory is entitled to at the hands of
his government.