Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-03-19
Mr.. CARR WARNS UP.
The Gentleman from Grant Makes a
Statement Touching the Change
of Venue Act--HOw 1t
Died.

Pinos Altos, Mch. Isl am very glad
that reference to myself in connection
with the failure of the legislature to re-
peal the change of venue law, in your
paper of last week, gives me an oppor-
tunity to make statement in regard to
it.
The second bill introduced by me was
H. B. No. T. "An act relating to change of
venue in district courts; defining the dis
qualifications of a district Judge for the
trial of certain cases; providing for the
trial of cases by ono district judge in the
court of another, who is disqualified, and
repeating chapter n of the session laws
of 1889, an act entitled at act in relation
to change of venue" Two days before
that Mr.. Hinkls had introduced H. B. No.
2, San act in regard to change of venue."
These bills were referred to the commit
tee on judiciary, of which Pinto Pine
was chairman and Severino Martinez, W.
A. Thompson, A. L. Christy and myself
were members.
At one of our first meetings the bills
we're taken up, together, for consldera-
ton and after considerable disc ossion, in
which much opposition was developed to
certain features of my bill, particularly
that section providing for district
Judge to hold the court of another, and
to the second proviso in section l, that
no change Of venue should be granted in
cases remanded upon appeal for new
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stitute for the bills, to be considered by
the committee, which 1 was perfectly
willing to do, but the chairman, Mr.. Pine,
offered to prepare the substitute and that
duty was assigned to him.
At almost every subsequent meeting of
the committee the subject of these bills
was brought up and Mr.. Pine was always
ready with some plea of lack of time,
illness, moro important business, or other
excuse for not presenting his substitute.
Toward the close of the session, at
meeting of the committee, Mr.. Pine an.
nounced that he would present draft Of
the old change of venue law as q substi-
tute, would have the type writer copy it
and he would have it ready at the next
morning meeting of the committee. l
announced my opposition to re-enacting
the old law, stating my objections to it
and favoring my own bill; informing him
that would make minority report
against his substitute, in which 1 would
have recommended the passage of Il. B.
No. I. 1t is needless to say that his sub
stitute was not presented to the commit
tee at its next meeting. The New MEXICAN
reports Pine as saying that he reported
bill to repeal the change of venue law too
late in tho session to be acted upon. If
he made any such statement to your
paper he simply lied, that is all, and the
records of the session will sustain the as
sertion. No report, whatever, was ever
made to the house by the judiciary COM
| mittee on the subject. And the bills of
Mr.. Hinkle and myself repeating the OBJ
| jectienable change of venue law repose
in the "grave yard" of Pinto Pino's in
side coat pocket.
Mr.. Hinkle frequently spoke to me
always referred him to the chairman of
the committee. Hinkle's opinion of Pine
in this matter and several Important sub
jects Of legislation would make interest
ing reading. The judiciary committee
directed several substitutes for bills to
be prepared and. with the possible excep-
tion of one to Mr.. Christy, all of them,
except the change of venue sub ject, were
assigned to me and not in single in
stance did fail to perform the duty as
signed me. Mr.. Pine had ample time,
when he was we'll enough, to have pre-
pared his substitute, if he had desired to
do so or favored the repeal of the law.
Mr.. Hinkle and myself may be blamed
for not recalling our bills from the COM
mittoe and bringing them up in the house.
We contemplated doing 70 several times,
but were always met with the positive
promise of Pine to report his substitute
fright away"
Mr.. Editor, there never was an hour
during the session of the legislative as
sembly that l was not in favor Of the re-
peal of the present change of venue law
and the enactment of the bill introduced
by me in its plac,, and / would have
accepted notifications in my bill to have
accomplished the repeal of the present
law. am still in favor of that bill and
if you have the space no better use can
be made of it than in publishing it in full
as basis of action by the next legisla-
tive assembly. One of the leading attor-
peys of the territory, to whom sent a
copy, said of it: ~ have nothing but
commentator. This il we'll drawn act
and ought to pass"
To Mr.. Pine, the leader of the Fall
Martinez forces upon the floor of the
house of representatives, belongs the
blame for failure to repeal the present
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been Questionable to Mr.. Christy and
myself, his party associates, Messrs. 8.
Martinez and Thompson, of the commit
tee, would no doubt have Joined him in
making majority report upon it.
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