Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-12-11
MATTERS OF INTEREST.
Board of Trade Takes Action on Effort
to Validate Fraudulent County
BOnds-SuppressiOn OF News
Condemned.

BOnds-SuppressiOn OF News
Condemned.
The Santa Fe board of trade held an
animated meeting last evening with Vice.
President Webber in the chair, Secretary
Knaebel at the desk and large attend.
ance of active members. The news that
Delegate Catron was apparently attempt.
ing to secure the immediate passage OF
his bill approving the issuance of certain
territorial bonds for the rebuilding OF
the capitol and other kindred purposes
and at the same time validating the
fraudulent Brice-Coler railroad aid bonds
issued years ago by Santa Fe and Grant
counties, was the first sub ject taken up.
After serious discussion, in which
Messrs. Seligman, Fiske, Boyle, Weber
and others took part, the following dis.
patch was ordered sent over the Postal
Gable line without delay:
To Hon. S. W. Cooper, Chairman Committee
on Territories. House of Representatives
Washington, ID. G.
Santa Fe, N. NJ, Dec. 10, '96.-Has con.
gress or either house recently passed act
validating Santa Fe county railroad AID
bonds, or is such act pending? If so op
pose it. E. T. WEBER,
Vice President Santa Fe Board of Trade
Messrs. Weber, Knaebel, Seligmar
and Fske were appointed as committee
with full power to act for the board ir
replying to any message received from
Congressman Cooper.
The alleged Intentional suppression BY
Manager Lewis, of the local Western
Union Office, of the news of Mr.. Catron't
attempted snap judgment as to the vail
dation of the Brice Coler bonds, sent out
by the Associated Press on Wednesday
afternoon and printed in the Albuquer
que Citizen, Denver Times and othei
afternoon papers but omitted from thu
report sent to the NEW MEXICAN, mex
came up.
Mr.. Boyle offered resolution recitine
the representation that this news item o
grave moment to the people of Santa f,
had been willfully suppressed by Manag
er Lewis, of the Western Union Office, fol
Interior purposes, and demanding tina
this serious charge be carefully investi
gated by the board with view to tn,
application of suitable and adequat,
remedy.
Col. Knaebel suggested that both Mr.
Lewis and Mr.. Gross, managing editor o
the New MEXICAN, should be presen
when this matter was discussed.
| Mr.. Marsh, representing the NEW MEx1
CAN being present, was called on fo
such explanation as he saw fit to make
pending the appearance of Mr.. Lewis
Mr.. Marsh said that among his usua
daily duties as an attache of the New
MEXICAN was the editing and handling o
the Associated Press report received b,
that paper; that, after the regular repor
had apparently closed on Wednesda,
afternoon, about 3:15 p. M, an undate
messag was handed to him from tn
Western Union telegraph Office, announc
ing an effort of Mr.. Catron in the hous
to change the method of swearing il
members of the New Mexico legislature
that said message was signed Herbert
meaning that it was filed for transmits
sion at 1:3O p. m. and was not marke,
"bulletin;" that it then occurred to hin
as strange that such a message, filed 81
early in the afternoon, was all the news o
the day concerning the transactions o
the house, and that such an importan
message should come without date; tina
the next morning he was amazed to NJ
tice In the Albuquerque Citizen, recei '
ing simultaneously the same press re
port as the New MEXICAN, that vita
omission had been made from the bod
of the message relative to the effort e.
validate the bonds aforesaid; that be wa
naturally anxious lest blame might b
attached to him in the premises, wei
knowing that large sum of money wa
involved and that the suppression of tn
news mentioned for twelve hours Nigh
result in great harm to the people o
Santa Fe county, and was greatly relieve
when assured that the Western Union OF
fee in this city did not profess to hav
sent such news to his desk.
At this juncture Manager Lewis ap
peared. In reply to questions he ex
planned that, when he supposed the repor
had closed, he went into his local batter
room to restore some of the batteries
that he heard the call, bulletin" an
answered as soon as possible; that h
heard the beginning of message and al
tempted to retain it in his memory; that
owing to his local battery not working
properly, he lost fifteen or twenty words
that, as the message made sense with tn
words omitted, he sent it to the NE,
MEXICAN without asking to have it re
peated; that he knew nothing whateve
about the bonds in question, heard moth
ing about them over the wire that da,
and regarded the whole matter as "small.
Pending an inquiry into the facts by
board of trade committee, consisting oil
Messrs. Webber, Knaebel and Seiigman
the New MEXICAN will make no furthe
comment than to suggest that all Mr.
Lewis had to do, when he discovered hi
instruments we're not properly working
and that he had lost part of possibl,
important press message, was to turn of
his key, stop the further transmission
thereof and ask that the message be re
peated. This is the method he ordina
rily adopts. Why did he not do 90 or
Wednesday afternoon?
Again, Mr.. Lewis represented to the
board of trade that the garbled message
was "bulletin" and not part of tn.
regular report. This statement is moi
supported by the original in the posses
sion of the New MEXICAN, which is posi-
lively not marked "bulletin" and is regu
larry signed Herbert" signifying that 1,
was filed in Denver at 1:8O p. M, as part
of the regular Associated Press report
while it was actually received in this Office
at 3:l5 p. m.
Messrs. Victory, Boyle and Fiske init
mated that they regarded the explanation
of Mr.. Lewis as very lame and supported
the motion to refer the matter to the
competent committee of inquiry already
mentioned.
An elegant line of writing tablets
and papeteries just received at Fisch-
er's. Call and see them.
For Sale or Rent.