Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-04-13
STATEHOOD HISTORY.


date for statehood has had the - lnck
of New Megice. Twenty years ago
Stephen B. Elkins was the delegate from
that territory. Both the senate and house
committees made favorable reports on
the admission of New Mexico. The state
hood bill for that territory had the right
of-way over the Colorado bill, and was
ueed to carry that measure 1t Was the
plan to admit two centennial states. The
New Mexico bill lost its precedence after
passing the senate. The Colorado bill
reached the president first. New Mexico
was lost in the shuttle. Mr.. Elkins went
ont Of congress fully expecting that the
next year would witness the admission of
New Mexico, as there was practically no
opposition. This winter Mr.. Elkins came
back to congress as senator from West
Virginia to find the territory Of his early
adoption still knocking.
Previous to the present congress there
have been nine favorable reports for the
admission of New Mexico. Several times
the bill has passed one branch, but not
the other, during the same congress.
California was admitted to statehood
in 1850, Henry Clay reporting on the ap-
plications of California and New Mexico,
said:
'Prior to their transfer to the Unit I'd
States both formed part of Old Mex
ico, where they stood in equal relations
to the government of that republic. They
were both ceded to the United States by
the same treaty; and in the same article
of that treaty the United States of
America engaged to protect and govern
them both. Common in their origin,
common in alienation from one foreign
government to another; common in their
wants of government and conterminous
in some of their boundaries, and alike in
many particulars in physical condition,
they have nearly everything in common,
in the relation In which they stand to the
rest of the Union"
Ia 1850 the people Of New Mexico or
ganized a constitutional convention. The
constitution framed was ratified almost
unanimously when submitted. Two sen.
ator and representative were elected
and sent on to Washington. They con-
fidentiy expected admission as state,
but the petition was denied. That was
forty-six years ago.
President Zachary Taylor, in speaking
Of the right OF New Mexico to statehood,
said:
II did not hesitate to express to the
people of these territories, acquired from
Mexico, my desire that each territory, if
prepared to comply with the require
ments of the constitution of the United
States, form a state constitution and sub
NIT the same to congress with prayer
for admission into the union of states."
la the session of congress of lS60-61,
when compromises to conciliate the slave
states were under consideration, one Of
the conditions of the south was the i'm
mediate admission of New Mexico as a
slave state. The compromise fell
through.
In 1872 New Mexico had another consti-
tutional convention. In 1876 the bill for
admission of New Mexico passed both
branches of congress by more than two
slight alterations in the bill as it came
from the house, and it did not reach the
president.
Eight years ago New Mexico was put
into the same general bill which admitted
the Dakotas, Montana and Washington.
The bill passed, but in the conference be-
tween the senate and house over some
amendments New Mexico was dropped
out. Fifteen states have come into the
Union since the New Mexicans framed a
constitution and elected senators and a
representative. And still New Mexico
waits.
Thomas II. Benton used to say that
when there we're 10000 able-bodied men
in a territory willing to take upon them
selves the burden of statehood, the ter
ritory ought to be admitted. New Mex
leo has population of 1883, nine
tenths of which was born into American
citizenship.-Globe Democrat.