Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-06-04
True and Timely Words.

The following Is taken from the
National Republican, a paper of gen.
eral circulation, published at Washing
ton, u. c.:
Tho opposition 10 the admission Of
| New Mexico AS a state is based primer
pally upon two grounds, which are, that
the people are in favor OF free silver,
and that the people, as a class. arc not
fitted for entire self government.
1t is the first time in the history OF
the country that the political opinions
OF the people of a Territory were made
the reasons for objectipg to its adj
mission as a state. II IS true that the
southern states objected to the admis-
sion of Kansas because 1t declared
against slavery, aud the same is true Of
New Mexico, which in 1850, formed q
state constitution and declared against
slavery, but slavery could hardly be
called a political question like the
division that now exists on the subject,
"what shall be money"
1t is an outrage on the people OF
New Mexico to make this a ground OF
refusal to them of the right of state
hood. The constitution Of the United
States guarantees 10 all its Inhabitants
| the right of untrammeled thought, and
its free expression. Those who favor
The gold standard are not the rulers of
the country, and have no right to at
tempt the abridgement of the opinions
| of others who differ with them. Nor
does any n know what will be the
course Of New Mexico on this money
question.
AS to the character Of the people
making them unfit for statehood, that
IS au absolute mistatement. Like all
aparsely settled countries, there is a
small element of undesirable residents,
III. the city Of New York contains
more than a hundred times as many as
can be found in New MEXICO.
A complete free school system ives
established as early as 1871, absorbing
one fourth OF the entire taxes. These
schools are now on a par with the best
ia the western states. School attend
ance is compulsory at either the public
or private schools, and these schools
must all be taugh bit IN the English Ian
guage.
There are two normal schools sup
ported by the Territory. There is a
state university, a school of mines. an
agricultural college; all public in
stitutions. Besides these, there ire
seventeen higher schools or colleges
in charge Of private parties, besides a
much larger number of lower grade
schools. In short, the educational
facilities of New Mexico are equal to
those or most of those of the older
states. The public school buildings
are valued at S2,( G0,000, and the pri
vate schools in three cities at $780,.
900.
In the II, 900 square miles, New Mex
leo has every variety Of soil and eli
mate, and produces all the grains, veg
etabies and fruits OF the temperate and
semi.tropical zones, according to the
elevation cultivated. The river valleys
contain 8 600, 900 acres, and there are
about as many acres in the valleys at va
fious elevations in the, mountain ranges,
and the .mesas," or great plains,
10000 0C0 acres, three quar-
ters of which are cuitivatable. Wheat
and oats from New Mexico earned the
first premium at the worlds fair. OF
he 40, 900, 900 acres of tillable and
pasture lands in New Mexico, about g.
700, 900 are in cultivation. Only five
Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Oregon
md Montana, exceed New Mexico in
heir wool clip.