Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-03-24

confined the amounts offered thereafter to
500 each. Both he and Gov. Prince
would have been glad to offer high re-
wards, but they felt bound to contine
themselves to the law. The appropriation
for the present fiscal year, (45th) reads
exactly like the above, and appropriates
81 900 (page 81, laws of 1881
We have most stringent laws to prevent
payments being made in excess of appro-
priations, and every sane man who can
read knows that no more than $1,000 can
be paid for this purpose in year.
There is no way to prevent governor
from offering a million dollars If he
chooses, but he can not bind the territory
beyond the law; and hence we repeat that
such offers are deceptive and simply made
for political acknowledgements Citizen
Now, let's see about this.
Joint Resolution No. 8, passed at the
Legislative session of '90-91, and approved
February 6, of the latter year, provided
that the governor be requested to offer
reward of $4,000 for the capture and cen
viction of the parties who made the attack
upon and attempted to murder Hon. j
A. Ancheta, and that upon the certificate
of the governor the auditor should issue a
warrant for this amount, payable out of
any funds in the territorial treasury, "un-
til special appropriation is made for
this purpose"
Chapter IL, acts of '91, was separate
act, and it was approved by the governor
on the same day that Joint Resolution No.
S was. This act requested and directed
the governor to offer a reward for the
persons who made the attack upon Mr..
Ancheta and also authorizing ''the gov
ernor to employ competent persons to
ferret out and detect the parties," and,
mark the stipualtion, "for which latter
purpose the sum of $4,000 is hereby
appropriated, to be paid out of any
moneys in the territorial treasury on the
certificate of the governor and the warrant
of the auditor"
Here we have two separate and distinct
laws, providing for the payment OF
moneys for two distinct purposes.
Chapter II, acts of '91, did not in the
least effect Joint Resolution No. 5, the
two being wholly independent of each
other.
In 1898, Gov. Prince, having expended
largo portion of the fund provided fol
in Chapter II, acts of '91, an act was
passed repeating Chapter IL, thus taking
from the executive the power to spend more
money in the employment of detectives
to ferret out, etc.
No Especial appropriation" has ever beer
made to provide for the expenditure o.
the $4,000 authorized in Joint Resolu
ton No. 5 and, therefore, by the terms o
the resolution, the reward can yet be pai(
out of any moneys in the treasury. L
was in accordance with this lawful author
ity that the governor issued his rocen
proclamation in the premises.
As to rewards in general, it may here
also be stated that while it is true thu
legislature only provided for an annua
appropriation of $1,000 for the paymen
of rewards in criminal cases, it is equal!
true that by section 6S4, Compiled Laws
of New Mexico, it is provided
"That the governor shall be authorized
to issue his proclamation offering re-
ward, not exceeding $500, for the appre
hensisn and delivery of the accused te
the proper officer"
It is something new in legal ethics tina
a general law is repealed by an item in
serted in an appropriation bill. Doe
not the Citizen know that one of the frs
acts of nearly every congress and nearl.
every legislative assembly is to pass
deficiency appropriation bill, and thai
this territory provided by its last legisla
ture for the issue of bonds to the amount
of nearly 100000 to pay current ex
penses where they had been in excess Of
the amount originally appropriated?
The fact is apparent, painfully appar
emit, thai the Albuquerque Citizen does
not wish the present administration to bt
successful in its we'll defined policy, The
arrest of criminals and the punishment O
crime, for fear that it will reflect on thu
inefficiency of former administrations il
New Mexico.
The good result that has followed thu
offer of these various rewards speaks fol
itself, and all good and law abiding citi
zens can not but commend.