Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-12-10
The Majority of the Senate Committee on Terri
tories Alleges That Many People of New
Mexico and Arizona Do Not Want State.
hood and That the Vast Majority of
New Mexico's People Speak
Only Spanish.
THE OMNIBUS BILL in
DANGER OF BEING SHELVED

Washington, Dec. 10.-When the SEN
ate convened today, Senator Quay OF
Pennsylvania, submitted number OF
resolutions of citizens of Oklahoma ia
yoring the omnibus statehood bill and
protesting against the joint statehood
with the Indian Territory. A wave OF
laughter swept over the chamber When
the clerk read one telegram which ex-
pressed the opinion that statehood for
Oklahoma would make it 'hopelessly
democratic" Mr.. Quay announced he
had sent it to the desk by mistake
STATEHOOD BILL TAKEN UP.
Washington, Dec. 10.-At 2 o'clock the
statehood bill was taken up and read
at length.
THE MAJORITY REPORT.
Washington, Dec. Ex-senator Bever-
idge. chairman of the senate committee
on territories, today presented the re-
port of the majority of the committee
against the omnibus bill for the admis-
sion of Oklahoma, Arizona and New
hltklCO do otettCS anu III oePPOAs ~ >---
substitute bill, reported by the commit
tee for the admission of one state to
embrace the area covered by the two
territories of Oklahoma and Indian Ter
ritory. The admission of New Mexico
and Arizona is opposed on the grounds
that the population in both territories
is sparse and insufficient in numbers,
that a vast majority of the people OF
New Mexico are of Spanish descent and
speak the Spanish language only and
that many of the people of both terri
tories do not understand American in
stitutions. The assertion is made that
many of the people do not want state
hood.
CONFIDENT OF VICTORY.
Special ito the New Mexican
Washington, Dec. Ex-senator Quay
asked that the minority report of the
committee on territories, favorable to
the omnibus bill be read. Senator Mel
son asked him to wait few minutes to
permit him to conclude the majority
six months to make that report. The
omnibus bill was then read Quay
counts Is Republicans unmovably in ia
vor of the bill and probably more.
A PESSIMISTIC VIEW.
The omnibus statehood bill is the
chief topic of interest not only in the
territories but also at Washington, as
the following dispatches indicate, the
first to the Rocky Mountain News and
the second to the Denver Republican:
1t is becoming general talk at the
capital that the president will veto the
omnibus statehood bill, should the
senate pass it. Senator Beveridge and
other Republican members OF the COM
mittee on territories have had an in
terview with the president, looking to
the bringing about Of that result,
should the measure pass both houses.
The stories they told the president
about the shortcomings Of New Mexi-
co and Arizona would make their fu-
ture gloomy and doubtful if they were
hauled up before one of the inorganic
ed courts that maintained peace In the
territories in the early days, to answer
the charge of libeling them.
Their report to the senate, which
must be presented not later than We'd
nesday, will hurt the territories indus
trially and financially much more SER
iously than 1t will politically. 1t will
maintain that not more than one-half
per cent of the lands of New Mexico
and one-third Of one per cent of the
lands of Arizona can ever be cultiva-
ted, because of lack of water, and great
reservoirs and other irrigation works
under the new irrigation law will not
mend the matter, for it is the dearth Of
water that is at the root Of the diff
culties.
All the rest Of the territories they will
hold, is bowling wilderness, only to
be inhabited by nomad cattlemen, blan-
ket Indians, bears and coyotes.
The intelligence Of their population
will be sat down as below that Of the
most densely populated negro section
Of the south
The Spanish speaking population will
be paraded as too indolent and too in
different to American institutions to
learn the language Of the country. This
the report will attempt Ito demonstrate
by the fact that the native popula-
ton needs interpreters as badly az
when the treaty of Guadalupe Hidal-
go was signed, more than so years ago
The Spanish speaking population Will
be painted as lazy and slothful, without
any Of the American spirit that has
heretofore fitted territories for states
possessing much smaller population
than the two rejected sisters.
The absurdity Of this Is clear in view
Of the fact that the Spanish speaking
population is in the minority IN the tive
territories. The committees repor
will not tell the story in the foregoing
language, but careful reading Of 1t will
demonstrate that this Is precisely wha
Is meant.
THE OTHER DISPATCH.
Delegates Rodey and Smith of New