Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-04-24
IA SIXTH JUDICIAL
DISTRICT FOR new MEXICO
A Bill That Has Been pigsonhoIsd by the Com
mitss on Judiciary but Which Delegate
Rodsy is Working Hard to
Have Passed.
NEW MExIC0'S DELEGATE is CONFIDENT
THAT THE STATEHOOD BILL WILL PASS


The following letter has been writer
by Delegate b. S. Rodey to Il promi-
nent citizen of tthe Pecos valley. in ref.
erence to the bill to create a sixth ju-
dicial district in New Mexico:
Washington, April %, 1902
Dear Sir: AS I have written different
people in the Pecos valley several times
during the present congress. it has
been hard to get a report from the ju-
dietary committee of the house on the
bill for the sixth judicial district for
New Mexico. The committee has fail
ed to act more than ten times which
have had appointed to get considera-
tion on it, from one cause or another.
First, it would be no quorum, then it
would be a failure to attend the meet
| ing on the part of the members on ac-
count of very important meetings of
| the members on other committees.
| have assurances now that I will get
consideration of the matter within the
next ten days. Oklahoma has had
similar bill for two additional judges
pending for two congresses, and Mr..
Flynn was lucky enough to get his bill
reported out of the senate committee
right early in the session, in fact, be-
fore our bill was introduced in the
house. He got that bill passed in the
house yesterday, giving Oklahoma two
additional judges at salary of $4,000
rav oupuy,, Thic Oh ylob hill boI
been on the calendar for many weeks,
and Mr. Flynn had been trying to get
unanimous consent to call it up and
have it passed. l had planned, much
to Mr.. Flynn's disgust, for he did not
want me to interfere with him, to move
an amendment to the oklahoma bill
when il was called for passage, to add
an additional judge for New Mexico so
as to supply our needs. But the wind
was all knocked out of my calculations
the great Cuban reciprocity debate, I
ascertained from hearing series of
most elaborate and able arguments on
the subject, that no bill can be amend
ed except in committee, unless the
amendment applies to the same subject
embraced in the title of the bill, and to
the same section of country embraced
in the title. Citations We're read when |
that subject was up for discussion, |
where ruling after ruling was made
when bill to admit one territory to
the union was up, and it was attempt
ed to amend 1t so as to insert the name |
of one or more other territories for ad-
mission 1t was attempted in years
back many times to get the admission
of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah at |
tached to such bills, and it could not
be done. Furthermore many members |
of the judiciary committee told me
when I asked them that if I attempted
ITO so amend 1t, it would be subject to
point of order, and Flynn said he |
would raise the point of order on me If
I tried it. Of course that being the
condition I could not get it done, but |
was going to try 1t so as to get 1t in |
the record any way so as to satisfy the |
people of the Pecos valley about the |
matter, but on yesterday while Cover |
nor Prince, Alexander Bowie and his |
son from New Mexico, called me out of |
the house for about fifteen minutes. |
Flynn suddenly got unanimous con- |
sent, through a previous arrangement
with the speaker, and called the mat |
ter up and it had passed the point |
where could try to amend when I got |
back on the floor. I was even then |
going to- try it, but Flynn and his
friends said if I did they would raise |
the point of order on me, that it was |
not germane and of course I would |
have been ruled out. On last Friday |
saw Mr. Ray, chairman of the judi |
ciary committee, to get our bill report |
ed, and he tried to dissuade me from 1t,
on the ground that he knew our state |
hood bill is going to pass. told him
I was glad to hear him say so, but that |
I had some constituents who were very |
anxious for this bill, and that even If |
the statehood bill does pass, it could |
not do any harm to have this bill re-
ported out and be on the calendar, and
even if the new district bill passed, the |
passage of the statehood bill will SIM |
ply render lit nugatory or unnecessary
He finally agreed that he would get the |
committee together for me in few
days on the matter.
l write this so you will know that I
am anxious about this bill, and so you |
will know that am not forgetting or |
neglecting 1t. desire to tell you, |
tthough. that unless the territories are
being deliberately deceived by honora-
BILE men, the statehood bill will pass
before the 1st Of May, or about that |
time, and will pass the senate before |
the 10th Of June The pins are set, the |
understandings have been had with
our friends, the powers have spoken,
and that is the understanding. or
course If anything comes to prevent 1T
you will all know Of 1t.
Very truly yours,
B. S. RODEY.