The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-02-22

per cent OF lneIn are dS EOoA N4AiA-AAS
as the people of New Mexico are
1 knew these people when there were
%, 600 of tim in Colorado, and when
there were not p, 600 Americans in Col
orado. I knew them in the war
knew them when they had not forgot
ten the fact that they were con-
Quered people L know that nowhere
on this continent were men more arlS-
ious to preserve the integrity Of the
Union than the Spanish population or
New Mexico and Colorado They put
into the field, in proportion to their
population, more men than many Of
the states which are Boosting of their
devotion to American institutions
They fought our battles; they kept
back the forces from the confederate
states that were invading and atempt-
ing TO cut off communication between
the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans
Nobody ever appealed to them in a
good cause that they did not respond;
and If you had an election, you need
only TO say 10 those Mexican people,
The government of the United States
| thinks il will promote its interest II
you do this or that" and they are
| ready to do IL They are not at any
time against the government IL any
/ sense of the term. The tendency OF
/ the Mexican people is to be with the
/ government of the United States. and
/ for the time being they CONSIDER very
largely the administration in power as
! the government itself.
Mr.. President. they have not learned
/ the English language as some
| people might have done. They
portanities Of education in the
4 days OF Spanish or Mexican dOmina-
ton We never did a thing for them.
1 With all our boasts of what we have
4 done in the United States for educa-
| ton, what did the general government
4 IN for Ia
people maintained their language. Did
you ever knO wa race that was worthy
/ The consideration OF mankind that did
| not have an attachment to the tongue
which they had in their youth? The
| very fact that they have adhered to
| the Spanish tongue shows to me that
| they are a people who can be attached
! TO principles and TO government
/ Mr.. SpOOner.-If my friend viii per
NIT me. ] did not criticize the Mexi-
! cans for being attached to the Spanish
| tongue.
| Mr. TeIler.-The Senator said sub
| stantially, as 1 understood him, that
| II they did not learn the English
| tongue, so that they could discharge
| the duties of citizenship I'm that IAN
| eUage,lhe> did not care Wherher they
| became entitled to full citizenship or
| not That Is what L understood the
senator to say.
| Mr. SpOOner.-No.
Mr.. Teller.-If I misunderstood him.
! he can correct me.
| Mr.. SpOOner.-I never criticised any
| man, Mexican or Spanjard. or Other-
| wise. for being attached u his native
tongue or Tor being attached 10 his ma
| tive land The United States is filed
with men who came from other lands
| and who learned in their youth A lam
guage Inherent from our language.
| 1hey have made patriotic citizens of
| the United States. Ny state is fulI of
| then-GermanS, Scandinavians and
others They love the land whence
| they came, and they love the language
OF their chiidhood-the language their
parents taught them. But their love
OF that has not at all deferred them
! from or delayed them in acquiring the
/ language of the country which they
nave adopted and Of the people among
Whom they nave cast their lot and in
tehd 10 live; and this inability or in
disposition during such a great number
or years on the part of the Aexicans to
learn the English language has been
10 me good ground for hesitation in
this matter.
Mr.. Teller-Of complaint?
MT Spooner-I did not say complaint
II has been TO me some ground for hes
ltauon about admitting them to the
( Union at this time. They have fnausu-
rated there now, it is said a fairly good
system Of education It is to be hoped
they viii acquire the English language.
/ hope certainly they will.
Mr. Teller-They will
Mr.. SpOoner-I hope they will. 50 that
that anomalous thing, which I never.
heard of until this debate came on. the
occasion for an Interpreter to go into
the jury room in civil and in criminal
cases in order to enable the members
Of the jury 20 confer with each other,
VIII be unnecessary.
Mr.. Teller-Then the cOulpIaint Of the
senator is not that
Mr.. SpoOner-I did not complain.
Mr. Teiler-Well, the criticism The
criticism of the senator from Wiscon-
sin IS not then, that they keen up the
. Spanish tongue, but that they do not
learn ours
Mr. Spooner-Kes; that is in part it.
Mr. Teller-Let me explain Here was
. a population composed entirely Of
Spanlsh-speaking people I VIII ven
ture to say that when we took New
Mexico there were not ten Americans
IN all New Mexico When I went to
Colorado there was a population Of 25.-
600 Mexicans. and do not think there
: were ten MISUNDERSTANDING people in
that community. They Were. poor peo-
pie. They were on the very inside Of
the continent. They were agricuItur-
, lists. They were not miners to any con-
siderable extent They were cattle
growers. sheep growers and agricultur-
lists in the ordinary sense Of the term.
: They had not the means either of Sc
: curing teachers in their midst OF OF
sending their children away where they
could be educated. The whole commu-
q J nifty spoke the language.
! 1t is a written language. It is an
: old language. 1t is a beautiful Ian
: guage. Any man who can speak II and
+ speak IL well can express every senti-
o ment and every thought of which he is
n capable as beautifully as in any other
= known language. It is cOpiOus; it is
+ soft: and whether it be the forcible
q declarations of their Statesmen or the
o sweet tones of the lover. il is equal 10
: any other language in the world. And
why should they abandon it2
Mr.. SpOoner-NObOdy asked them tc
? abandon IL.
a Mr.. Teller-No; but the SEN
q ator said they must learn the
!, English tongue. They are DOING
+ it now. They have been doing
y it ever since we gave them an Oppor-
s tunity, by changing our laws concern
4 ing the school lands, by which they
1, might get some benefit from the schoo
: lands and get public schools. They are
< doing it as well as anybody can do it
" But now they are to be made to wait
# Mr. President, these people are fit fol
r. citizenship and are citizens. They are
I Mt for government if any peopt