Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-05-06
IRRIGATION, OPEN SESAkE
Full Text of the Characteristic
Address Preservation OF
the Forests Urged.
THE LAS VEGAS txtURsloHlsTs

The excursion train wnich went l.,
Santa Fe yesterday morning got
, away on good time all right and II left
the capital on the dot. tambien, but
the trip hume was unconscionably
slow. II was tired, sleepy bu. hap
py crowd that reached the city at
| 10 o'clock last night. From $3.50 a. M.
to 10 p. M. is quite long stretch
without snooze between. According.
ly. the crowd lost no time Ia gaining
the seclusion of the most sacred re-
gion of the sacred precincts Of nome
and making ready for is many hoars
as possible OF undisturhed stunt or.
The crowd that went yesterday had,
with perhaps a few exceptions, tho
kind OF time that repaid them for the
early start and the strenuous day.
The program of the day was all tl.at
had been promised. The weather was
delightful, and the greeting OF the
president by the people massed about
the line Of march OF the procession
was most cordial. The decorations.
the places visited and the general fea-
lures of the program were noted by
The Optic correspondent yesterday
The president delivered to perhaps
ten thousand people stirring address
which was received with more marks
Of appreciation than enthusiastic
| statehood advocates Of the Lewelyn,
Rodey-0tero type should like. The
president was skilfully indefinite on
the point regarding which the throng
was supposedly most anxious to have
him declare himself. Perhaps. in the
glory of the decorations. the crash of
the music and the glamour Of the pres
ence or the president. they forgot for
the moment their anxiety to become
part Of the union. AT any rate when
the president told them In effect that
when the citizens OF New Mexico had
irrigated their lands. when they had
transformed the face of the country
and gained permanent settlers. in fact
when they were ready. then they
would get statehood There Is no use
trying to explain away the fact that
the presidents ntterances In Santa
Fe were distinctly opposed to the i'm
mediate admission of the territory.
The territory Is not inclined to re.
proach the president for his favorable
utterance made years ago under differ
ent conditions. The petplc Nelieve
that as president be speaks honestly,
and not only does the words Of the
executive yesterday convey that i'm
preston. but The Optic has II from
the most reliable source that the pres
ident has said privately that he does
not believe New Mexico should be ad-
mitted to statehood, at least as a sep
arate state. while conditions are as AZ
present. The Optic states these facts
plainly because II Is worse than use
less to delude ourselves when we have
a situation that is serious to face The
presidents opinion Is important I'm
doubtedly his views we're championed
In the fight made last year. Had he
been favorably inclined. New Mexico
would have come in. The president
Is honest In his belief. New Mexico Is
not likely TO come In until the strenn-
Gus president thinks we are ready.
Two hopes there are: One TO con-
vince the strong minded man that he
Ia mistaken and we are ready now.
The other to get to work at once 10
bring ourselves up to the standard
which he has made. The unfavorable
words In Santa Fe we're repeated in
Albuquerque. But one very salts
factory thing the president said In the
latter town. He not only manifested
his interest in the irrigation problem,
but he promised to aid In its solution.
The reception accorded him. which
the press men on the special said at
albuquerque was the most magnifi-
cent Of the trip will not be likely to
make this interest less hearty. New
Mexico will be very certain to get one