Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-01-05
THE MESSAGE

EXECUTIVE OFFICE, TER, New MEXICO, !
Santa Fe, December 81, 1894. !
Gentlemen of the council and house O.
Representatives I extend to you hearty
and cordial welcome to the capital city Of
New Mexico.
As the representatives of the sovereign
people of this territory SO recently
elected their accredited agents, delegated
and empowered to represent them in this
deliberative body, you occupy most
honorable and responsible position. tt
you, the people of this great territory
have entrusted the duty of correcting
errors found in our laws and the enact.
ment of such new legislation as Cur ad
vancament in civilization, and the rapidly
changing condition of a great and grow.
ing country demand. The honor thus
conferred is tribute to yeur worth that
should crafty the pride of the most am
bitious; but with the acceptance of the
honorable position You now occupy, you
have assumed great and responsible
duties as legislators. The welfare of the
people, 40 far as it can be affected by
legislation, rests with !, con
siderate action in the d pass.
ing of new, and the obnoxious
laws now in existence, wal rebound to
the future prosperity and happiness OF
our people, adding to the respect and
esteem in which they are now held in
other parts of the world, and tending
greatly to improve the morale, and give
confidence to the citizens of this terri.
tory. Upon the other hand hasty and un-
guarded action on your part must, and
most likely would, work great harm.
This ia a critical moment IN the history
of New Mexico. For more than forty
years our people have labored continuous
iy and arduously for admission to the sis
terhoed of states, but SO far, have Ia
bored in vain. Treaty obligations have
been disregarded, the wishes of our peo-
pie ignored, and we still remain a de.
pendent territory deprived of the rights
Of self f-government, dependent upon the
wishes of the national administration for
the selection of the officers who fill the
most res sponsible positions and exercise
the greatest authority upon our people.
This must necessarily work to our detrl-
ment. 1t is not possible for a national
executive living thousands Of miles from
our border, who has never set foot within
our territory, knows nothing, save by re-
port, of our country, who is unfamiliar
with our interests and industries, to ap-
point officers as satisfactory and COM
petent to administer the affairs of states,
as those elected by the votes Of the SOW
In kn1 hxy oa1f int r%c
and fully informed as to the wants and
necessities existing in all parts Of the
territory.
Defeat and disappointment in the past
have in no degree dampened the ardor
and enthusiasm of our people for state
hood and independent self-government;
we are as anxious as ever for statehood
to-day, and our hearts are filled with hope
that success is about to crown our efforts
and that this long sought for boon will
soon be an accomplished fact.
A bill for the admission of New Mex
leo, liberal in its provisions and satisfac-
tory to all classes, has passed the lower
house of congress and gone to the senate,
where it has been referred to the commit
tee on territories, who have examined it
and reported it back to the senate with
the recommendation that ''it pass"
This bill Is now awaiting the action OF
the senate with every prospect that as
soon as it can be reached, it will pass that
body. You can therefore readily see how
the action of this representative body OF
tho people of this territory, at this time,
and in view of these conditions, is of the
utmost Importance. Your every act will
be carefully viewed and critically scruti-
nized; wise, considerate and careful action
upon your part will tend to aid in the
cause Of statehood, while hasty, extreme
or improvident legislation must retard if
not defeat it for the present, and prob
ably delay the action of congress for
many years to come. I invite your earn
est attention to this important matter,
and advise careful consideration thereof
with the sincere hope that your own in
nate honesty, your patriotism and well
known love for our beautiful mountain
territory. will prompt you to carefully
consider and thereby determine all meas
nres which may come before you; and
that your counsels will be governed by
prudence and wisdom.
Coming as you do from the body of
the people, familiar with their wants and
representing their desires, you should
bring to the performance of your duties,
q determination to fully satisfy the ex-
pectations of those whose servants yeu
are, by conscientious and laborious ef-
fort to perform the work in hand, honest
ly aud faithfully.
In view of the shortness Of the term as
provided by law, and the many and
varied interests to be looked after, it Is
important that prompt and vigorous ac-
tion be taken. The magnitude of the
work demanding your attention is so
great, that it is doubtful if it can be
satisfactorily performed, even by the
most laborious efforts, during the life of
the session.
do not advise you to hasty action, for
you will see by reference to some of the
laws on our statute books, that non
action is better than hasty and careless
legislation. Some of the most import
ant measures requiring your attention at
this time, point to the repeal Of hasty
and improvident legislation of the past.
The first of those to which shall call
your attention, and which requires i'm.
mediate action, is the repeal of por-
tion of section No. II, chapter 70 of the
laws of 1898, fixing the
Compensation of Assessors.
1t was generally understood at the time
this law was enacted that the OBJ ject of the