The times., 1898-02-03
A PLEA FOR NEW MEXICO
Mr.. Ferguson addresses the
Committee of the Whole.
A RAY OF HOPE FOR HIM
IL Is Given by a Republican Member
while He Is SpeaiBing-W rongs
TO the Territory-fh Fortifica-
rion Bill Under Consideration
Some Interesting Inquiries.

fious came up in the House late yes
terday afternoon for cons deration. The
estimates submitted by the War De-
partment to the Committee ON Appro-
priatiens for this branch of the public
service was S19,S7S.511. The amount al
lowed by the committee Was 81, l44,9l2,
a sum so small that even Republicans
found fault with it, although it is gem
orally known that this appropriation
was cut to bottom figure like all other
appropriations have been for the sole
purpose CT decreasing the deficit Gre
ated by the Dingley bill.
The report accompanying the bill sets
forth that:
During the Forty ninth Congress
Fiscal years 1887 and 1889 no appropri-
ations We're made on account OF forti
fications, their maintenance or arina-
ment. and for the twelve fiscal years
1875 to 1856, inclusive, the appropria-
tions by Congress on this account av-
eraged only $40, 80 per annum, and
only S46S SEQ per annum for the four
teen years, including 1887 and 1885, for
which TWO latter iscal years no specific
appropriations were made, as stated.
appropriations in continuance of the
policy adopted by the Fifuisth Congress
in the passage Of the acts approved
September 90 1883, and March 2. 1889,
and by the Fifty-first, FifJy-second,
Firty-third and Fifty-fourth Con-
crosses in acts approved August is,
1880, February q, 1891. July %. 1892,
February IS, 1893, August /, 1894, March
=, 1895, June 8. 1896. and March 3, 1897.
- =.
the ten fiscal years lSS9-lsSS aggregate
SS9,SS4, ,25S.5o, or an average Of $S.9SS-
425.S5 per annum.
"Of the whole sum. S39. .3Sf, %. so. APP
propriated by the fortifcation acts COW
ering the ten fiscal years 1SSS-1S9S. the
sum OF S1e, ,Ss5, ,G29 was appropriated in
the two fortifeation acts enacted by
. the last Congress.
After Mr.. Hemenway, of Indiana. had
explained the bill, Mr.. Cannon. of Illi-
nois, chairman of the Committee on
Appropriations. volunteered the state
ment that before the end of the year
with the amount of the bin aPprOpri-
ated in hand the harbors of the coun-
try viii be sufficiently protected ito
prevent any vessel coming into them
to levy blackmaiL
During the discussion that followed
Mr.. FERGUSON. Of New Mexico, took
otNcAosDn ~ itAEl ~ lllt tCl us>dl VI Niic
Republican majority to admit the ter
ritory he represents into statehood. He
said that ii was universally acllnowl-
edged that New Mexico had the requis-
ite area-152, ,000 square miles; the pop
ulation. quarter of million: the
wealth, sac. 000. .G00-under a very liberal
exemption law and with assessments
at one-third of the true value: but
that the people were taxed without
lsts 4 II.
n Vote-which is contrary TO the Con-
stitution, and which caused the Ameri-
can revolution; but yet New Mexico
was kept out Of the sisterheod of States
solely on political grounds, which was
Z shame and disgrace TO the man or
party that voted to keep a State out Of
the Union on such ground The point
that Mir. FERGUSON wished particularly
to make at this time was that as New
Mexico had been kept out for fifty
years all of the best land had been
taken up and the money therefor turn
ed into the treasury, instead OF being
used for public schools ana other pub
lie institutions. Now as the Federal
court of private land claims had lately
restored 30 the Government hundreds
of thousands Of acres that had been
held as Spanish and Mexican grants,
Ire asked that New Mexico be given
which she would be entitled to when
admitted to Statehood. for the use of
her public schools, university, normal
schools, insane, dumb, deaf, blind asy-
lums, penitentiary where Federal
prisoners are also held-asricultural
college, school Of mines and other pub
lie institutions, all of which institutions
New Mexico now is taxed heavily to
support, while the United States draws
II.
The public lands sold and from the in
ternal revenue and customs into its
own Treasury to the great injustice of
New Mexico and its quarter of mill
ion of American citizens
Mr.. Knox Of Massachusetts. chair
man OF the Committee on Territories.
interrupted the speaker to say that
he knew no member of the committee
and he did not believe that any
member of his side of the House. would
object to Delegate Fergusson's bill for
that purpose.
Delegate FERGUSON then extended his
thanks TO Mr. Knox for that acknowl-
edgement. as he knew that all on the
Democratic side Of the House would
support il, and then il would pass
unanimously. Mr.. Ferguson received
the closest attention from both sides of
the House and from Speaker Reed, who
was over on the Republican side.
Mr.. Underwood of Georgia informed
the Committee of the Whole that lie
wanted the harbor at Mobile properly
protected, because that would be the
first place that would be attacked in
case of war He ridiculed the COM
nittee for their economy when the
country is in imminent danger of war
and needed, more than it ever did,
proper coast defenSes, and declared the
81, goo allowed by the committee TO
be insufficient at this time. He de-
clared that there could be but one rea-
son for such a small appropriation at
such critical time-one-half Of what
the last appropriation was-and that
was the effort that is being made to try
TO make the Dingley bill pay the ex-
penses of the Government
Mr.. Mcguire of California inquired if
it was possible, under the Dingley bill,
for the country to be more flooded
with cheap foreign goods than it was
under the Wilson bill.
This brought Mr. Dineley of Maine
to his feet, and he retorted
that IL was because the country was
now prosperous and consuming more,
to which Mr.. Mcguire remarked:
Then it is not the importation of
foreign goods that causes bad times
here. and if that is true, tariff has moth
ing to do with the prosperity of the
country"
Mr. Mcclellan, of New York, protest
ed against the method used in hand
ling appropriatiSl bills for national de-
fense by parceling them out to so many
different committees. The present
BILL he continued, carries less than
one-third Of the amount of the esti-
hate. The Notifications bill of 1896
carried s9.500000. and that for 1897 car
ried S1.500.000 The chiefs of the ord