Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-09-18
AFRANK, MANLY ANSWER.
Mr.. Catron Responds to the Scurril-
IN Attack of Governor Thornton,
Made Recently.

: SANTA FE. N. NJ, Sept. 16, 1896.
Governor w. T. Thornton, Office Of the Ex-
e%cutive, Territory Of New Me1ico, Santa
Fe, N. M.
DEAR SIR.-I am this morning In
possession Of your communication of the
10th inst, written from the "Ofice OF
the Executive" having just returned
from Colorado, where | have been
looking after some mining interests.
AS a citizen of New Mexico Of over
thirty years. standing, interested in her
welfare, I deplore sincerely that you,
as her chief executive, have so far for
gotten the dignity and obligations of
the Office you hold as to write su h o
letter as the one that you addressed to
me and published 10 your Dewspap {
on the 18th inst. IL has the appear
ance of being designed to provoke me
to some act Of violence which might
give your adberents al opportunity to
iDjure ne physically, but l am unwill-
ing to attribute to you such design. !
prefer to consider your act that of one
smarting under some fancied injury to
such a degree as to render you tenn
porarily l shall try to avoid
your example. AS l left Santa Fe oD
tie same day of your publication, and
did not receive your communication
until this morning, your delay In writ
ing it is to be regretted. The coinci-
dence in time of my going and Of your
publication, was, OF course, purely for.
~tuitous, but some may not so believe.
am surprised that you could imag-
inc that | would write an anonymous
letter about you or anyone else. We
have known each other very many
years; and you will bear witness that
when l have had anything to say to or
about you l have not hesitated to say
it 10 person, and there is nc reason for
any change.
1t ought not to be necessary for me
to assure you, of all living men, in
view of our long and intimate associa-
tion-much Of the time when you were
my "%wIlling" law partner, in which
the most intimate and confidential re-
lations existed-that I have not written
and will not write any anonymous at
tacks upon you or anyone else. After
your letter, you do not deserve such
statements. but l do state that l have
not written, dictated or inspired the
matter you quote or refer to, about
you, either directly or indirectly; that
| eve heard of it before its publica-
ton, and never saw it until / saw it 10
your letter; nor have I written, dictat-
ed or inspired any other communities
tions about any other official, as you
suggest.
/ shall not attempt to reply to your
scandalous In ,inuations, believing them
to be the effects of mental alteration,
except to say they are untrue in SUBJ
stance and intent. Should. in my judg-
ment, the proper time ever arrive for
me to express myself as to you,or any
n else. | will do 1t openly and direct
", ss-yepp wellkaoW.
cannot notice your scnTE!!ons and
slanderous statements. They are un-
worthy OF your high official position,
and do not elevate your character as q
gentleman, and it would degrade me to
otherwise notice them. / leave you
them with a simple denial, declining to
follow yonr precedent, and will let the
people who know us Judge.
Respectfully. etc,
(Signed) T. B. CATRoN.