Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1901-07-05
of NEW MEX.
A "Sincere and Devoted Worker"
Casts Slurs on the People,
REV. JUllLARO TO THE RESCUE.

IaNAAe W itENNNA ~ wy "
lard, the Catholic pastor in charge Of
San MatCo, writes:
Although san Mateo Is a very small
village We deem IL our duty to pro.
test against the asperslon cast upon
these few families. and to denounce
the habit of the Protestant mission
aries working among MeXicans and
Indians. Of misrepresentation the so
cial. religious and moral state of these
races.
what Is said of San Mateo today
viii be repeated about another village
tomorrow. till at last 1t becomes an
undiscusscd truism that New Mexico
Is still In n state of barharism,
The paper read by the sincere and
devoted workcr.' referred To by the
Transcript. Is an argument for funds.
| Most of the reports of the kind are. to
say the least. exaggerations. They
magnify the wretchcd and miserable
condition of their "~proteges,' In order
to elicit pity. and the heartrending pic
turc Of such horrors works marvels.
That play has been going on in be-
half OF Presbyterian. Mothodist.Episco-
pal and Congregational mission
schools for nearly half a century. The
harm done "a the reputation OF the
inhabitants of New Mexico by such
proceedings cannot be overrated. Is
the opinion OF the American people to
be formed in that manner? Is history
TO be written with such documents?
The credit given to these reports by
the press would fairly lead US to be-
lieve that New Mexico Is las the sin
Sere and devoted worker says) a re-
mote province of China, about which
| any assertion may safely be ventured.
| for IL is SO far that there Is no pos
| sible human way OF controlling It's
~veracity.
But what of San Mateo? San Ma.
teo is n small Mexican village, about
twenty-five miles northeast of Grant
"a station of the S. +. u. railroad). We
can trace its history back to the year
1867. when n small colony Of %Spaniards
led by Don Santiago Duran de Chavez
took possession of the San Mateo val
ley and obtained from the Spanish
| crown a grant for the land. The whole
surrounding country was at the time
settled by savage Navajos. For years
and years the Spanish colonists fought
their blood thirsty nclghbors, pro arls
ct focis. but at last. exhausted by
daily battles. outnumbered ny an ever
increasing foe, they retreated twenty
miles southeast. where they founded
the town of Cebollctta.
At the breaking out of the seces-
sion war an old settler of Cebolletta,
the well known Colonel Chavez. raised
a regiment OF New Mexican yolun-
teers, having received n commission
from President Lincoln to that pur-
pose. One entire company was re-
cruited in Cebollctta and placed under
the command of Captain Roman "A.
Baca. Mr.. Baca, then In the prime of
life. had already distinguished himself
by his exploits against the Navajos.
The regiment and this particular com
pany rendered very valuable services
to the United States government dur
ing the entire period of two years,
When they were mustered out In 1863
Captain Baca proposed to the boys
to 40 In q body and resettle the valley
of San Mateos The Nayajos were still
there as OF yore. more hostile than
ever. IL was a dangerous enterprise
but they were bold and at once agreed
to accompany their captain to the pro
posed land. The young warriors had
scarcely begun their march toward the
San Mateo mountains when war broke
1 bhN AhNlh hiih Nv iiuli ~
fierce war indeed, a merciless war,
which ragged for over six years, but
the boys" conquered and wrested
from the Navajo Indians the beautiful
valley once the domain of their faith
ers, and built the village of San Mateo.
The heroism displayed at the gene.
sis Of San Mateo by its first settlers is
not its only claim to distinction,
though n small village, San Mateo, Is
lin no wise least of the princes of
Judah" IL contributed and still con
tributes its share of talented men to
the councils " the nation. Captain
Roman A. Baca vas In 1876 speaker
of the house of representatives of the
territorial Legislature, and subsequent
ly many n time member of the same
body. He was a man of liberal edu'
cation and "A progressive citizen, a
man who would have made his mark
in any country.
When I'm 1891 a new school law was
passed establishing a modern system
of schools in the territory. the name
of Mr.. Amado Chavez, an old resident
OF San Mateo, was on everyone's lips
as the best equipped man to put the
new system into execution, and II was
he whom Governor l.. Bradford Prince
appointed as the first superintendent
of public instruction. This position he
occupied for six years in the most
brilliant and creditable manner, and
in that period the territory made the
most remarkable progress In eduea
tional matters.
About ten years ago the government
of the United States established q
court for the purpose of settling the
land titles In this territory. The
government needed the services of a
competent clerk for that court, of O
man well yersed in the English and
Spanish languages, and II was another
son OF San Mateo who was selected
for hat position, Mr.. Irineo Chavez
who still holds It with great credit.
Another resident OF San Mateo. Mr.
II. l.. Baca, for the last four years has
acted as chief clerk of the territorial
legislature.
But we must close this list. These
names suffice TO prove that San MATED
cannot be compared TO n hamlet o.
the unciyilized parts OF Africa as III,
sincere and devoted worker" would
have us believe, for those hamlets al
a rule do not produce such men as
these.
We must admit that all the inhabi
tants Of the village did not study IL
high schools, though many OF it,
young men were educated in the st
Michael's college of Santa Fe. You
may even find there some people who
know not how to read and write, but
on the whole the San Mateo people
so far as intelligence, knowledge and
good manner are concerned, can com
pare very favorably with many peo
ME In the eastern states.
The sincere and devoted worker
must admit that for pagans and boxers
Of dark. very dark China, these Catho
lie barbarians of San Mateo treated
her very kindly. | doubt whether In
some districts of the eastern states
in an absolutely Protestant community
a priest would be treated with as
much courtesy and regard. The lady
was invited everywhere and at all the
little family feasts, But she probably
forgot IL all, for she no soone leaves
the little town than she compares its