Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-01-27

lone might say the same of Central
Africa, l suppose. or some cannibal is
land, where man can dig a hole in the
these Mexicans do, and eat what they
are forced to eat. | suppose they can
exist without an almshole-but even
here in Santa Fe one cannot but feel
that an almshole might be a blessing.
''Of course, l have only seen the coun-
try along the railroad, and in this imme-
date vicinity, but this is the capital
city and the oldest in the territory. and
on the street one only hears Mexican, or
Indian, spoken. There are, Of course, a
few people here who have come from
the states, but the large, very large,
majority of the people neither speak
nor understand English, and are print
tive and ignorant to the last degree; to
give them the franchise would be an
outrage.
When the congressional delegation
came out here they were feted and
looked after, and taken where the best
impression would be made on them, and
guarded in the most careful manner to
prevent any one disappearing OF the
scheme from having any opportunity to
see or to speak to the visitors. 1t was a
farce all through, as | have been told by
| people living here, who honestly feel
that 1t would be a wicked thing to make
a state out of the materials here; but
they say it would probably end in theil
being mobbed if they publicly gave their
opinions. 1t is hard to get reliable
| statistics even, because they are in the
hands of these few politicians. who are
working night and day to attain thell
ends"
1t is certainly too bad that the writer,
while in New Mexico, had to 60 to Colo
RADIO for water. The 265, 900 people,
| who use New Mexico water are indeed
to be pitied. The vision of politicians
working day and night" must strike the
average observer as peculiar, surely. A
commonwealth, that permits its politi
clans to work and work day and night
at that, is not fit to be the sister to any
other commonwealth where politician:
never work, but always steal, as they dc
for instance in Tammany ridden New
York.
Politicians working for their owl
personal gain" is also a strange sight tt
a wayfarer from beyond, where politi
clans only work for the good of others
as for instance in the solid south, where
politicians are always at work dis
fra nchising one half Of the voters fol
the voters good, so say the politicians
The writer, who criticises SO cruelty
the ambition of New Mexico to become
a state, must have worked very hare
in avoiding the people, for by even the
greatest diligence visitors can not avoie
hearing English spoken on every side
in New Mexico, eve if they do not as
%sociate with people whose acquaintance
is worth while cultivating. Such Wis
itors should move to eastern Pennsyl
vania where Pennsylvania Dutch Is
largely spoken, or to the slums Of New
York and Chicago, where there are ten
of thousands of naturalized citizens wit
do not speak the English language.
Before going, the Star correspondent
should peep into the Santa Fe schoo
rooms which accommodate 1000 pupils
1000 of whom are children of Spanish
speaking parents, children who arr
taught English and are at present being
held up as models Of politeness to school
children the world over by eaeterr
journalists who have seen them ii
school here. Such inspection might
modify ideas about ''natiye ignorance.
One can %sympathize with a guest wht
sees no almhouses in New Mexico. The.
are so familiar a sight in the older state'
that tourists may find some explanation
for their absence. Yet all poor people
of the east are not in poor houses as 6
visit to any large city in the country
shows, where in a single ward there arr
ten times as many beggars as in all o
New Mexico.
The chief accusation Of all, made b,
the writer of the letter, Is that New
Mexico has a lot Of common people VIII,
do not wear diamond shirt studs ant
claw-hammer coats at their work, no
who can affard to travel about in tn
states to find conditions to criticize
There is a faint suspicion in the mind
Of New Mexico residents that peopl,
who wear shabby clothes on week day
exist In states.
To avoid any misunderstanding, per
haps, the congressional statehood com
mittee was, according to the writer, in
troduced only to people in evening
dress and wined and dined in houses
that had parlors and sitting rooms
Statehood would have been in danger
according to this correspondent, hae
the members OF the committee been al
lowed to see the grimy sons Of toll or thu
Woodworking husbandmen, who seen
to be satisfied with New Mexico, FOL
they are very seldom willing to leave II
for the state from which the writel
halls, or perhaps the correspondent
knows there are none such here.
But no more should be said when ont
remembers that the Washington Sta
correspondent confesses, 'Of course,
have only seen the country along thu
railroads." That one sentence cover
multitude Of sins. 1t classes this ig
noramus with the average foreigner VIII
seeks American shores to spend tw'
days in a days in a railroad q and thei
goes home to write a book on the pecu
liarities and idiosy ncracies OF the Amer