Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1901-04-23
THE REASONS
FOR STATEHOOD
They Are Summed Up in a Concise
Manner By Delegate Bernard
s, Rodey.
AN ANSWER TO CRITICISMS
The Advantages of Statehood and the Dis
advantages Of Territorial Form of
Government-Mr. Rodey Will Put
Up aStiff Fight for New Mexico.

To the Editor of the New Mexican:
Albuquerque, N. NJ, April 20, 1901
The othen day you kindly called my at
tention to some comments by the Silver
City Enterprise upon my interview or
the question of statehood for the terri
tory, published short time ago in the
New Mexican and if you will kindly
permit me- l will make the following
short reply.
| The editor gives me credit for having
| tha courage of my convictions en- the
| statehood question, for which | thank
him, for | surely think I have that
| courage. He further says that | pro-
duce mo fact to show wherein statehood
would be of such great advantage, and
that l cannot do SO. / suppose if he
| thinks there is no advantage in state
hood, that he is of opinion that it would
be much better then, if all THE states
were territories, governed by some sort
of an absolute ruler that nome of the
people had any voice in electing? But
LETT me call to- the mind of my editorial
mine, that a sovereign state makes its
own laws, elects its own officers, con-
duets it's own affairs; it's officials are
responsible to it's own people, and have
or ought to have the interest of the
state at heart. When the people don't
Like their officials they elect Others in
their stead. The national government
doesn't initerfere with the affairs of a
sovereign state, but on the contrary
pays some attention to- the requests of
the state Through its senators and rep-
resantatives.
A territory lis tail to the national
kite, but not of half as much USE 1t is
sometimes a pasture for political pap
suckers, sometimes a playground for
played out politicians. 1t is a place
where the people are taxed without rep-
resentation. lit has no voice in congress
CIR national affairs that has amy effect.
It's people are presumed NOT to be fit to
govern themselves. Life and property
are presumed mott to be safe i'm it; in
fine it is place that is presumed to be
wild and wooley," that is, NOT civilized
and therefore not a proper place for res
pectabe people who can ,afford to live
somewhere else to come ITO. These pre-
sunptions, EVEN though entirely unwar-
ltan1ed are wiliespreasu. The fact that
we have a good president who has given
us good Officers, is no evidence that it
will always be so, nor has 1T always
been so in the past.
Lett me further assure my friend that
mo- matter what may be Individual
opinions about the brass band method
of educating the people UP to a proper
enthusiasm ON the subject of statehood,
I will elndeavor to convince members of
congress by proper and dignfied stat
is1tical arguments that New Mexico
possesses all the qualifications to enti-
tile her Ito assume the higher form of
government. / do not assume that T
will have ITO convince amy member of
congress OF the meritGs of state over a
territorial form of government. I did
not think it would be necessary to- do
that to my friend in Silver City, even if
I had the time to- spare.
He further says that do not give
credit to the minority who are against
statehood for their convictions, etc. He
is right. I don't. On the contrary,
think a person has his gall with him.
who WON'T admit the right of the large
majority of his fellow citizens to enjoy
the blessings of a free government,
when they govern according to the
commands of a STRICTLY American CON-
stltution, and he is further right when
he says that say to- all such "get out"
for I do not think that such people
ought to go some place where the peo-
ciate with.