Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1901-01-28
LEGISLATIVE
PROCEEDINGS.

) scented two petitions from the citizen
of Pennington, San Juan county, whicl
We're received and referred. One ask
for the passage of an act authorizing
towns of less than 500 inhabitants t.
Incorporate upon the sanction of ma
1omty of its voting population. TIL,
other petitions that public school direc
tors be elected to serve three years
Mr.. Hughes presented petition from
the New Mexico Educational Associa
tion. A committee having the subject
in charge reported that Hon. James
Fielder, of Grant county, had been Sc.
lected to deliver the address at the
John Marshall celeh'atior on behalf ot
the council. New bills were introduced
as follows:
Council bill No. 23, by Mr.. Springer
to amend certain provisions of the pub.
lc school laws; referred to the commit
tee on education.
Council bill Mo. "a, by Mr.. Cruik-
shank, to protect discharged employees
and prevent blacklisting; to committee
on railroads
Council bill No. 25, by Mr. Hinkle, re-
garding public roads and authorizing
county commissioners to appoint road
| supervisors; committee on roads and
| highways.
Council bill Mo. rs, by Mr.. Hinkle,
providing for the election of justices of
the peace and constabqes at the regu-
lar general elections; to the committee
on privileges and elections. Adjourned
to 10 a. m. tomorrow.
THE HOUSE.
| After the opening routine in the
house the speaker presented as privi-
| legged question a. letter from the COM
| mittee of the New Mexico Bar Asso-
citation, inviting the house to be pres
emit at the John Marshall celebration,
and designate member to speak on
that occasion in behalf of the house.
Accepted, and Representative Read
was selected to make the address.
The speaker ammo unced that the chair
HAD learned of the sad affliction
coming to the home of Governor Otero
through the death of little daughter,
and ON motion of Mr. Chapman the
house adjourned out of respect to the
governor and his family, after Messrs.
Dalies, Chapman and Ascarate had
been appointed, on motion of Mr.. Dali
les, a committee to draft appropriate
resolutions on the subject.
EDUCATIONAL PETITION.
Councilman Thomas Hughes this
morning presented in the council a pc
tition from the educational association
of New Mexico. 1t states that since it
is probable that New Mexico will soon
assume its righHful and proper place
as one of the states of the Union, on
which occasion it ds customary for the
general government to grant lands for
educational purposes, the association
asks THE thirty -fourth assembly to
"unte in petitioning congress to do
Mate to our beloved commonwealth
grant of land comrne nsurate with our
necessities" The petition then says:
CAV the present time the general gov
ernment is paying much attention to
giving our distant but recently acquired
island possessions the advantages of
public schools. New Mexico was ac-
quired over half a century ago by the
United States, and i'm something the
same way as Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines. But our territory received
scarcely any attention from the gener-
al government in educational matters
until about three years ago she re-
ceived a partial grant of school lands,
which are just beginning to bring in an
income. Our need of aid in these mat
tens has been great at ain times. 1t is
we'll known to you that our best land ds
included in the numerous land and rail-
road grants, Indian and military reser-
vations, and government entries; so
that very little good or even fair agri-
cultural land remains out of which to
select the land which congress may give
us. By the grant of 1898 the territory
was restricted from securing mineral
Land of any kind or from selling tim
ber on LEASED land. AS the future of
New Mexico depends largely on the de-
velopment of our mineral resources. 1t
is butt natural and right to expect that
us in aiding and supporting our school
system and other public institutions.
In making donation of Land for our
common schools, congressgwill probably
give sections of definite number in
each township throughout the territory.
Ut is apparent to each one of you that
a majority of these sections will be
worth but little If anything for agri-
cultural or grazing purposes, although
very few may contain minerals.
Therefore, to obtain "a reasonable and
fair dona tion of land, in actual value,
a much larger grant than usual at such
times should be given, also whatever
minerals this land may contain should
go with 1t.
1t is doubtless we'll known to YOU that
the funds now being used for the main
tenance of schools are insufficient. |
Many districts having 100 school chill
dren are unable for lack of funds to
have more than three or four months
of school per year. Numerous small
settlements, containing from ten to
thirty school children, have no school
facilities at all.
Therefore, we ask that you petition
congress whenever statehood is ac-
quired by New Mexico, in addition to
what has already been given to her,
there shall be granted for the common
schools four sections IN each township.
or their equivalents, throughout the
state, and also s per cent of the pro-
ceeds Of the sales of public lands made !
subsequent to this donation; for the
unhuensdtx. the a aerical1fural college and |