El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-03-03
THE NEW MEXICAN APPOINTMENT
How e Dead Lock in the Legislature
was Broken


The interesting political status at
Santa F'e, n. M, with reference to the
appointment of the governor for the
next two years, was broken by a coup
d 'etat on the part of the democrats
Governor Thornton as we all know is
democrat, whose official term expires
early in this month. 1t was however.
| his duty to appoint the territorial Off
Gals consisting of auditor, treasurer,
solicitor general, coal oil Inspector,
and various non political boards and
| organizations, having charge of the
| management of the cattle interests,
agricultural college. insane asylum
and other public institutions. These
appointments must be confirmed by the
| Legislative. council'in order to entitle the
appointees to their positions, and as
| the council consisted of six democrats
and six repu olicans, confirm alton of
any political appOintee became very
| doubtful. In fact for the past ten days
| the democrats despaired of being able
| to secure any combinations. Motion
after motion had been made that the
council should go into executive ses-
sion for the purpose of acting on these
| appointments, and such motions were
| always lost by a tie vote. II the six
democratic councilmen had ever caught
| the repu blicans mapping so that one of
I
| they would Immediately have closed
| the doors and confirmed the appoint
| ments. But nary republican ever
| mapped. The amusing spectacle was
seen twice day, of the republicans all
| Assem- bling at given point and pro-
! ceeding to the council chamber in a
! body, and if any member of that organ
| ization happened to be late at the
rendezvous the others patiently waited
until his arrival.
In the midst of this condition of af-
| fairs the wires flashed the news from
Washington that the president had
granted a respite for thirty days to the
| four convicted Borregos who were to
have been hanged on February % for
the murder of Frank Chavez, a demo-
cratic eX-sheriff at the time Of his
murder of Santa Fee county. The trial
and conviction of these men has been
the cause celebre, and has taxed the
utmos. resources of the officers of the
law. 1t has been twice before the
supreme court of the territory and only
settled by the supreme court of the
United States. The republican dele
gate to congress, L. B. Catron, was the
attorney of the condemned men, and
has made one of the most stu bborn
fights in the history of New Mexico's
administration of law to save his
clients. 1t was openly charged in
Santa te at the time the respite was
granted, by prominent democrats. that
the respite so given by President
Cleveland on February %, would innure
to the final saving of these criminals,
as long before the respite had expired
a republican successor to Governor
Thornton would be appointed and a
republican would be in the presidential
chair, and that communication would
surely follow, because the fight for and
against these men has been largely
mad Il political fight from the start to
the finish.
The authority of the president of the
United States to grant respite to
commute or to pardon to or in favor of
a criminal convicted under the laws of
the territory of New Mexico in its own
local courts has been seriously ques-
toned inasmuch as the organic act of
that territory vests Su h power alone
in the governor. To have this matter
decided finally and for good before
President Cleveland should retire from
Office, Governor Thornton on Feb. 18th
left for Washington, and the kilograms
of yesterday tell US that he was success
Cleveland decided in one day after
Governor Thornton's arrival that !
the crime for which the Borregos were
sentenced was cold blOOded dastardly
assassination, and for which they must
hang. This the kilograms says was
decided by the president, and that he
also decided there was grave doubt of
his right to reprive or pardon.
AS soon as Governor Thornton left !
Santa Fee for Washington, some shrewd |
democrats saw their opportunity to |
break the cad lock with reference to
the appointments. A bill was immeG-
lately prepared for introduction into
the legislature to transfer the capital
of the territory from Santa Fe to AIbu-