Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-10-01
The PARTING OF The WAYS
The Oldest Republican Paper in New
Mexico DenOunces the CatrOnist
Crowd and Its Platform.
LAS VEGAS OPTIC STANDS UP FOR RIGHT
A Scorching Criticism of the Repub-
lican Party's Position in This
Campaign-A Scoring for
the Delegate.

the Delegate.
The following appears on the editoria
page of yesterdays Las Vegas Optic:
THE opTIo's POSITION.
"The Optic has come to the parting ol
the ways. Through no action of its own
but in contravention of it's earnest and
/. emphatic teachings, this paper has been
placed in position where it must stulti-
fly its own utterance and sacrifice what 1t
believes to be the vital interests of the
people of New Mexico, or else it must
sunder, for the time being at least, the
ties of featy which bind it to the Repub-
lican party of New Mexico, and to the
congress.
"No one, who has watched the policy
and practices of this paper, during the
nearly twenty years OF its career, can
doubt for moment what its course will
be when forced into the position but just
enunciated. The Optic is the peoples
paper. Such has been its claim and aim
during all the years of its laborious life;
and it would but little deserve the title it
has assumed and the place it has filled
in the hearts of the people did it now
sacrifice their dearest interest to the mere
fetch of party organization and party
success, Once before was the nece ssity
forced upon US, when the party nomina-
tion was given to man
AT THE DIoTAT1oN OF THE BOSSES
totally unqualified for the place. The
Optic did not hesitate to take the side of
the people, as against machine politics;
and we have never regretted our action
from that day to this. The result more
than proved the wisdom of our course.
"Republicanism, as the principles of a
great party, was born in the effort to res
cue the down-trodden masses from the
avaricious grasp of the money power
And this it accom- pllshed, although com
PEELED to carry forward the greatest inter
nicine war in the history of the world
For that party now to become the sub
servient instrument in fastening upon the
laborers of the land slavery, more gall
ing and hopeless than the south ever
knew, is to forget its traditions, bias
pheme its fathers, sully its escutcheon
|
mortal deeds. Let him do this who dares;
the Optic will not. We are compelled,
therefore, to announce, sadly but firmly,
that We can not accept the platform pro-
mulgated by the Republican party at its
recent territorial convention IN Las We
gas and We will not support its candidate
for the congressional delegateship. We
take this position because of
BOTH THE PLATToBM AND The CANDIDATE.
"For mass of inconsistencies and con-
tradiotions, commends us to this plat
form. 1t is the very acme of absurdity.
Human ingenuity could not combine
more opposite and irreconcilable posi-
tions, or bring together propositions
which so absolutely stultify and confound
one another. One thing, however, it
means and says, and that is that it in
dorses the st. Louis platform, pledging
this nation to the maintenance of the
present gold standard, with all its hor-
rors of contracting currency and de-
clining prices, till foreign permission can
be had to our returning to the money of
the constitution and the practice of our
fathers.
sit is we'll understood that Mr.. Catron
had himself declared he would not run on
such a platform. That he subseq uently
chose to eat his own words, falsify his
own assertion, and do the very thing he
said he would not do, is assuredly privi-
lege of which he can not be deprived;
but he and his friends need not be sur
prised that others, more regardful OF con-
sistency, refuse to follow him in his
ground and lofty tumbling. The Optic
GAN NOT INDoRsE THE GOLD PLANK
in the st. Louis platform, nor will it sup.
port any man standing on that plank.
The restoration of silver, as primary
money of the country, at once and with
out consulting the wishes of any other
nation, is the imperative demand of che
hour, alike for the country at large ana
the territory of New Mexico in particu-
lar. Mr.. Catron and his platform oppose
this, and therefore we oppose him.
"In addition to this, Mr.. Catron has
shown his incompetenoy to serve New
Mexico, as her delegate in congress. We
say this regretfully and not in wrath.
Two years ago, no man or paper in the
territory gave the Republican candidate
a more hearty, sincere, laborious, faith
full and competent support than was
given him by the Optic. Our hopes were
high, our anticipation large, our predic-
tion bsundless. We believed with him
that there was scarcely any limit to the
good things he would do and secure for
New Mexico. But the zenith and nadir are
not farther apart than have proved the
promises Mr.. Catron made and the things
he has actually accomplished.
"The most inveterate enemy of Hon. T.
B. Catron can not deny him brains and
energy; nor can his most devoted ad.
mirer claim that
HIS CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
was other than failure. Take away the
anti-ptize fight Law, and the appointment
of his two sons to desirable government
places, and the record of Mr.. Catrons ao-
com plishments is as blank as page of
unwritten paper. Whatever the cause,
this 10 fact. His ability and energy,
confessedly great, may not have been
adapted to the work OF delegate. His
time may have been so engrossed by the
needs of his numerous clients here at
home, that he could not bring his brains
and energy to bear upon his congress
slonal work. II may be that he found
pleading Law before New Mexico jnries,
and pleading for statehood and other bills
before congressional committees so un-
like in their demands and 80 contrary in
their requirements that at his time of life
he could not give up the former and adapt
/ himself to the latter. Or it may be that
in inclination was his lack, rather than in
adaptation. Whatever the cause, the fact