The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-07-26
& Show for Statehood.
only the Knockers are Bucixinn and
They're Not Many -rr Rodey's
Rosy Opinion.


Rosy Opinion.
The kickers and knockers, princi.
pslly the latter, grow energetic and wise
in ingenuity about the time the talk Of
statehood for this territory is heard
There is an organization Of baekoappers
to fight statehood at all times and by all
methods except open ones. Never has
political convention or public meeting
been held in New Mexico within the
memory Of the present generation that
has failedto endorse statehood stout and
straight. And yet it is said that there
are ahldavits, statistics and documents
enough to stagSer a paper mill, piled up
in the public buildings at Washington,
protesting against statehood.
On the surface, all interests and all
people want statehood. No newspaper
Of any Importance in the territory op-
poses it, no prominent man is quoted
against it, no attempt is made in the
face Of intelligent, enlightened, progress
sive public opinion, to oppose the de-
sired end, It is the gum-shoed states
men or the extremely wise and watchful
individuals who--the Lord knows why
are "afraid OF statehood" that make
the fight in such sinister fashion.
Delegate B. S. Rodey has taken off his
coat to fight for statehood and says he's
in the fight to say. In a recent inter
view at Washington he was quoted as
follows;
"New Mexico is making the effort of
her life to be admitted as state, and the
| fight is to be brought to a close il pos
sible in the 9th congress. l have been
elected for the purpose almost solely Of
furthering this proposition and my ma
/ iOrity in the election was the largest
ever cast for a delegate from that TERRI
tory, not excluding Senator Elkins. Of
West Virginia. who came to congress
several terms as the representative Of
New Mexico in the latter Cos and early
7Os.
when California came into the Union
1 New Mexico organized a state govern
emnt dOpted a constitution and cleo
ted two senators and one representative
and sent them to Washington, expecting
to get in at that time, and, although we
had population then Of more than CO.
600, we failed to be admitted, The
claims Of New Mexico for statehood have
since been investigated by no less than
eight congresses, and bills have been
favorablv reported for that purpose in
one house or the other six times.
''NoW our population is shown by the
census to be 100000, but we claim at
least 10000, more. Our territorial area
is larger than the whole of New England
and New York combined. We have
more newspapers per capita than any
other state; we spend more for educa-
ton ner canit1 thnp-arF state, see .'g
nave more churches per capita than
any other state. We have twice the
population Of Wyoming; about six times
that OF Nevada, more than Idaho and
Delaware, and 10000 lmore than North
| Dakota"
A prominent citizen Of the territory
had this vision, wrote it out and sent it
to the New Mexican, which printed it as
follows
"The future rises before me. / see
the great state Of New Mexico, teeming
with an industrious and tense popula-
tion. see the waters of the Nile OF
America held in hundred great dams
and reservoirs from Embudo to Mesilla.
/ see the laterals. aye, ten thousand
great caLals distributing the life giving
waters over network of farms for hun
dreds Of miles / see the orchards and
the crops OF millions of people / see
the smoke rising heavenward through
the empyrean of the Sunshine State
from countless factories and plants. /
see dozens OF immense cities and hund
reds of towns and villages with their
busy yet peaceful populations from
Ration to Lordsburg and from Aztec to
Carlsbad | see railroad after railroad
threading every mountain valley and
every plain cutting the land into a CO
lestial Mosaic. / see the numberless
hocks and herds grazing on $4,000 hills
and numberless mountain sides. / see
the collegee and the schools and the
spires Of their churches. I hear the
chimes Of the bells. the hum OF hus.
bandry, the whistling trains and the
songs Of the birds. The sky is as cleal
as the crystal in her rock-ribbed noun
tains; peace, plenty and happiness reigr
supreme in the Sunshine State. Agar
Y l say, God speed the day"