Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-11-08

from Colorado Catholic, November III,
1895. Please publish. T. H. MALONE.
TO THE spAN1sH-AMERIoANs OF NEW
MEXICO.
The Colorado Catholic would ask a
word with the Spanish-Americans in New
Mexico. Whenever. this paper is con-
vinced of The righteousness Of PROPOSE
ton, or the correctness of principle, 10
power can swerve it IN its advocacy of
such proposition or principle. We
think this has frequently been made evil
dent.
An editorial in the Colorado Catholic of
the 10Th ult. has been exasperatingly mis-
understood, and our Spanish American
friends in our neigboring territory have
taken offense where none was intended.
Az we have always had courage to stand
for what We believe to be righJ-even
when it meant, as 1t did more than once,
personal sacrifice, and the frowns Of the
strong and mighty-so have we the cour
age and manliness to set ourselves right
in the eyes of the weak and before those
to whom we owe no obligation and who
are no way indebted to US.
The statement to which exception has
been taken by our friends in New Mex
loo, is the following from the editorial
referred to:
"One thing firmly fixes itself upon
visitor to New Mexico, and that is that
to attempt to build up the native popula-
ton and elevate it to plane with the
American character is hopeless task.
The Mexican. in our opinion, is doomed
and fated to disappear with the Indian.
An indolent people, they seem to have
neither the energy of the Indian nor the
intellectual life Of the Spaniard, these
two natures and characters having SEEM
ingly suffered by the mixture and max
ing result inferior in some respects to
the Indian, and in all respects far In
ferior to the Spaniard"
Now in regard to this paragraph we
believe very grievous injustice has been
done US by some who have essayed to
criticise it.
The Colorado Catholic has never been
among those who made use of the sneering
epithet "Mexicano," to denote the people
of Spanish blood in New Mexico. For
ten years the Colorado Catholic has never
lost an opportunity, as our files will show,
to battle for the rights of the people of
New Mexico; it has printed countless
articles in defense of the Spanish-Ameri-
cans; against unjust critics, when bigots,
religious and political have assailed
them, the people of New Mexico have had
in the Colorado Catholic a willing de-
fender. 1t painsfus therefore, to find our
opinion erroneously construed, and to be
considered inimical to people for whom
we entertain none but the most kindly
feeling.
The writer of the article in question
had in mind in all that he wrote concern
ing mexican" and "native population"
only the inhabitants of the Pueblos-
some twenty in number-the half-breeds
who associate with them and their imme-
diate followers; to these and these only
did he intend reference; to these and these
only was his article, in justice, applicable,
and any other construction he now repu-
dates and insists that to give his article
the construction which has been given it,
in certain quarters, is both an injustice
anc wrong.
We perhaps made mistake in using
the term "Mexican," but, as We have said,
it never entered our mind, in view of the
vulgar usage of the word, in this western
country, to apply it to others than the in
habitants of the Pueblos and the others
mentioned above.
1t ia to the reclamation of these very
people that the church is directing,
through most jealous and self-sacrific-
ing clergy, her strongest efforts. And our
opinion was, and still lie, that these people
are fated, doomed to disappear and be-
come forgotten; that it is an impossible
task to ever elevate them to the plane of
the American character, and by Americans
we include all-the Spanish-Americans,
as we'll as the Irish-Americans or the Ger
man-Americans, etc.
If in view of what we have said an
apology be necessary to our Spanish
American friends of New Mexico, we give
it freely and from sincere heart. Under
no circumstances would we wound their
feelings. They have had to contend
against great odds in the struggle for
supremacy in New Mexico-a supremacy,
we are happy to say, they have attained
in every walk of life-and which We trust
they will maintain for all time.
In view of this explanation we are GER
tain that the Spanish-American popula-
ton of New Mexico will agree with us in
our opinion, now that, We think, we have
made our opinion clear.
May New Mexico soon add another
star to Old Glory, and may her Spanish
American sons be soon heard in the halls
Of the nations congress-this is the wish
of the Colorado Catholic, an accomplish
ment which its editor will do his share to
bring about.