Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-01-31
New Claims


AunicblOu VI ANGW ltAitOs DUN Juot-
ice and Expediency Demand it," which
was intended to correct gross mis-
statements made in congress and in
a portion of the press. It is strange
that after fourteen years the same ig-
norance and prejudice should exist,
and call for the same kind Of cor
~rection.
Yet these fourteen years have seen
great progress and improvement In all
material respects. In 1889 | wrote you,
mo territory ever had such prepare
ton for statehood" That was true
then, and it is far more true now.
As early as 1850 the people of New
Mexico, relying on the pledges of our
government, held a convention, adopt
&c a constitution, elected state officers,
a legislature and w. S. Messervy as
member of congress. In July the leg
islature elected r. II. Weightman and
F. c. Cunningham as senators, and
they, with the member of congress-,
proceeded to Washington. While on
the journey they were met by the in
telligence of the passage, on Septem-
Der 3, or the famous Compromise
measures' which admitted ~yaliforhia,
as a state and, relegated Nes~Mexicos
to the condition OF a territory. From
that time to the present attempts to
secure admission have constantly been
made. and congress has not entirely
failed to respond to these appeals. In
1S74-75 both houses of the XLIIID con-
gress passed an enabling act, the
house by a vote of 100 to f%ifty-four
and the senate BY t~hirtytwo to eleven.
The bill was slightly amended in the
senate, and failed because it was i'm
possible at the end of the session to
bring 1t up for concurrence in the
house. In the succeeding congress a
similar bill passed the senate by a vote
of thirty-fve to fifteen, was reported
favorably in the house, but failed TO be
reached. For twenty years scarcely a
congress has met in which an enabling
act has not been passed in one house
or the other; but by some accident or
obstacle concurrent action has failed.
III 1t was proper to admit New Mexico
in 1874, before it possessed a mile of
railroad, single public building, a deve-
Hoped mine, a matured orchard or an
alfalfa field, what reason can now be
given for delay, when its population
has greatly increased, its condition
vastly improved, and it's resources of
all kinds are being developed into
sources of wealth.
In the pending discussion In CON
gress and in most articles in the press,
h really great principle involed
seems to be lost sight of or ignored.
That is the, right of selfgovernment.
This is the fundamental principle of
republican institutions; it is the inner
ent right of the American citizens. 1t
is u best heritage from our fathers.
1t is enough to make our New England
Revolutionary ancestors turn in their
graves to see their descendants de
prived OF these rights and held In bond
age AND that by the votes of New
England senator's. l confess it makes
my revolutionary blood hot with indig.
nation to find that the latest natural.
lied foreigner in Colorado or Texas
has all the rights of American citizen
ship and that, because | choose to cross
an imaginary line, | am deprived of the
dearest OF American rights, that of self
government.
A territory has not a republican gov
eminent. it is simply a province; its
people are n o citizens, they are sub
jects. Iii has bad officials, there is no
remedy, for they are not responsible to
people nor answerable to public opin-
ion. If they have influence in Washing
ton, hey can violate law Inc override
justice with impanity. As a temper
airy expedient, when the population is
sparse and poor and cannot sustain
local government, the territorial condi-
ton is a necessary evil; but it is ex-
eeptional and temporary, and as soon
as the people are able to become self
governing they are entitled to that
right. Every moment of delay after
that time is an outrage on their Amer
icanism.
! desire briefly to state a few facts
to show not only that New Mexico has
long passed that exceptional period,
but that as above stated 1t is better
prepared for statehood than any of the
territories heretofore admitted.
Population. No territory at the
time of its admission. with the excep
ton OF Dakota and Utah, contained
the population now in New Mexico. B,
the census of 1900 it had 1876 $40 inhab
itants, without counting the Indians oil
the reservations. The real population
as has been conclusively shown IN pull
lie documents. was about 225 900. But
taking the census figures, the abov
statement is correct. | must not oC
cupy space with the full list Of tn
populations Of territories at the time
of their admission, but, as examples
Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and lllinoi
zach had about 10000 inhabitants;