Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1892-12-27
sPANlsn IN NE snHnOLs.

Delegate Joseph will oppose the
amendment 10 the bin for the
admission Oh New Mexico which pro.
vides that only English shall be taught
in our public schools. In this our del.
egate makes a very serious mistake.
English Is the language Of our cOun-
try. There would be Just as much
consistency ia passing an enabling act
for Arizona, Utah and Oklahoma to
provide that English and German,
English aud French or English and
Slavonic should be taught in the pub.
lie schools as that English aud Spanish
should be taught in New Mexico. The
Spanish people Of New Mexico are
anxious TO learn English, but II the
enabling act provides that either En-
glish or Spanish shall be taught the
chances are hat in every Spanish set
Element only the native language wall
be taught, and the education Of the
Spanish speaking people in English
will be neglected. The English speak.
ing population Of the territory would
no doubt prefer 10 have both Ian.
guogcs taught In our public schools,
rs IL would give their children the adj
vantage Of another language. Mr..
Joseph did not object TO that clause
in the enabling act while in the cam.
paign. He said that as soon as the
bill was passed in the senate.he would
have IL, with its amendments, passed
n the houge, and already secured
pledges sufficient to pass il. His pres
emit objection TO the act is simply a po-
litical move. He is simply carrying
out the policy of the democratic bosses
who are not in sympathy with the
statehood movement and never have
been .-Enterprise.
The editor of the Enterprise
ought to read the bill for the adj
mison of New Mexico to the
Union over at least once more.
The bill which passed the house
of representatives for the admis-
sion of New Mexico to the Union
made no provision whatever for
teaching the Spanish language in
the schools of the proposed state.
The language Of the bill is this:
"That provision shall be made for
the establishment and maintenance
of a system of public schools,
which shall be open to all the
children of said state and free
from s~ectarian control, and in all
of which schools the English Ian
guage shall be taught" The bill
does not provide that the Spanish
language shall be taught in the
schools of the new state as the
Enterprise would have its readers
believe. There is nothing in the
bill to prevent the teaching of the
Spanish language in the schools,
but there is in the bill reported
from the senate. That bill pro-
yides that the English language
only shall be taught in the public
schools of New Mexico. No such
provision was ever before put into
the enabling act of any state. Why
the Spanish language was singled
out is a mystery which no one but
a republican statesman can unrav-
ell. Why not prohibit the teach
ing of German or French in the
public schools of New Mexico?
AS long as the English language
must be taught in all of the pub
lie schools of New Mexico we can
not see what objection there could
be to having the Spanish language
taught any more than there could
be to have French or German
taught in the schools. There are
thousands Of Americans in New
Mexico who would like to have
their children learn Spanish and We
fail to see what harm there is in it
We fully agree with the advocates
of English schools in New Mex.
leo in solar as compulsory teaching
of English is concerned. The
school children of New Mexico
must learn English but we fail tc
see any reason whythey should not
at the same the time, learn Span
ish if they so desire. A knowledge
of the Spanish language will injurs
no one and it would be no discredii
to our system of schools if Spanish
we're to be taught in the schools Of
. the State of New Mexico.