Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-03-10
THE WRATH OF THE PEOPLE
large Mass Meeting at Court House
to Protest Against Valuation Of
Fraudulent Bonds.
EX-GOV. PRINCE CALLED TO TIE CHAIR
Br ices Prostitution of Senatorial Ofice
Exposed-Speeches by Gov. Thorn
ton, Judge Downs and Others
Resolutions Adopted

In response to the call of Messrs. E. I
Webber, president of the Santa Fe Board
of Trade, and Charles W. Dudrow, chair
man Of the board of county commission
ers, several hundred citizsps and tax
payers assembled in the district court
room of this city at o'clock yesterday
afternoon for the purpose of giving defin-
ite expression to the views Of this COM
munity touching the effort of Senator
Brice, of Ohio, to attach an amendment,
yalidating $172,5Ga of Texas, Santa FL &
northern railroad bonds, to the house DILL
giving congressional sanction to the act
Of the last New Mexico legislature author
izing the Issue of $4,000 in bonds for the
purpose of rebuilding the territorial
capitol.
The meeting was called to order by Gov.
w. T. Thornton, who promptly placed
ex-Gov. L. Bradford Prince in nomina-
tion for president.
In spite of the protests of the nominee
that it would be better to select some one
else, this motion was adopted amid much
enthusiasm, and Judge Francis Downs
governor to the chair.
COY. PRINCE IN THE CHAIR.
Upon assuming the chair, eY-Gov.
Prince said that, as he might be obliged
to leave before the meeting closed, it
would be we'll to select vice president.
Whereupon Capt. Sol Spiegelberg was
chosen vice president, Col. George W.
Kbaebel secretary and County Clerk A.
P. Hill interpreter.
At the suggestion of the president,
Governor Thornton thereupon came for
ward aud briefly yet clearly stated the
objects of the meeting. He stated that
an effort was now being made in congress
to saddle upon the people of this county
some $45O,G00 of railroad bonds for which
the county had derived no benefit; that
the validating of the $172,500 of Texas,
Santa Fe a. Northern bonds would of
course involve the validating of the New
Mexico & Southern Pacific bonds; that,
while the question of the validity of these
bonds was pending before the supreme
court, the county commissioners had un-
dertaken to foist them upon the people
by refunding process; that subsequent-
ly precisely similar case, appealed from
the Arizona courts, was decided adversely
to the bondholders by the U. s. supreme
court; that this decision, declaring the
Arizona railroad bonds fraudulent and
void on account of having beer issued
in violation of the territorial organic act,
placed the bonds issued by this county
under the same ban; that the last general
assembly of New Mexico passed, subject
to the
APPROVAL OF CONGRESS-,
an act authorizing the issue of $4,000 in
bonds for capitol rebuilding purposes;
that bill approving this proposed bono
Issue, introduced by Delegate Catron,
passed the house of representatives; that
the bill then went to the senate where
Senator Brice, chief of the syndicate that
bought the Texas, Santa Fe & Northern
bonds, tackled on an amendment validat-
ing the railroad bonds just mentioned;
that the bill, thus amended, had passed
the senate; that the passage of the bill in
this form would saddle the county with
debt that would double taxes and prac-
ticnlly destroy all property values in the
county; that it was strange that no one
from this territory took the pains to ad-
wise the senate of the facts in the prem
lses; that the senate should now be fully
advised of the mistake it had made; that
our delegate in congress should be urged
to do his duty in the matter Of protecting
the interests of the people.
The governor then read the Brice
amendment and the proceedings had in
the senate concerning same from the
Congressional Record, all of which will
be found appended to this article.
Mr.. Webber then offered the following
resolutions, which were read by the secre-
tary:
RINGING RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED.
Resolved, By the people Of Santa Fe
county in mass meeting assembled, That
we have heard with amazement and in
dignation of the attempt made by Senator
Brice, of Ohio, to overthrow the decisions
of the courts and saddle upon the county
the payment of $172,500 of> fraudulently
issued bonds, the property of said Brice
ana his associates or Of purchasers from
them to whom he is responsible;
That by this action Senator Brice has
prostituted his high public Office as sena-