Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1903-01-31
New Mexfco's Claims



Sir; January. 1882 The Tribun
publ letter from me. heade
ADJ on OF New Mexico Both just
Ice Expectancy Demand IL d" whicl
was ended 10 correct gross mis-
stat, ITS made In congress and il
n pc On OF the press. II is strang,
that : ter fourteen years the same Ig
nora and prejudice should exist
and all for the same kind OF cor
rection
Yet these fourteen wears heve seer
great progress and Improvement in MI
material rerpects In 1889 wrote you
NO territory ever had such prepare
fion for statehood" That was true
then, and II 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.
ed oonstii ution, elected state officers,
a legislature and w. s. Messervy as
member of congress. In July the leg.
islature elected X. II. weightman and
y. G. Cunningham as senators. and
they. with the member of congress,
proceeded TO Washington. While on
che Journey they were met by the In.
telligence OF the passage. on Septem-
Der Q. of the famous Compromise
measure" which admitted california
as state and relegateA New Mexico
to the condition OF a territory From
that time 10 the present attempts to
secure admission have constantly been
made. and congress has not entirely
failed to respond TO these appeals. In
1S74-76 both houses OF the XLIlID con-
gress passed an enabling act. the
house by a vote Of 160 to fifty-four
and the senate by thirty.two to eleven.
The bill was slightly amended In the
senate. and failed because II was i'm.
possible at the end OF the session to
bring II up for occurrence In the
house. In the succeeding congress
similar bill passed the senate by a vote
OF thirty-nve 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.
n II was proper to admit New Mexico
in 1874, before II possessed a mile of
railroad. single public building, a deve-
ioped mine, q natured orchard or an !
alfalfa Aeid, what reason can now be
given for delay. when It's population
has greatly increaned, its condition
vastly improved, and its resources of |
-. xindS are being developed into |
sources OF wealth.
In the pending discussion In con,
sress and In most articles in the press
the really great principle involed |
seems to be lost sight OF or ignored. |
That 10 the right of selfgovcrnment. |
Tho 10 the fundamental principle of
republican institutions, II is the inner
emit right OF the American citizens. II
ia our best heritage from, our fathers. |
II In enough to make our New England |
Revolutionary ancestors turn in their |
graves TO see their descendants de-
prived OF these rights ard held In bond. |
age and that by the votes OF New
England senator's. confess 1t makes
my revolutionary blood hot with indig-
nation to and 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 calf
A territory has not republican gov.
eminent. II is simply a province; its
people are not citizens, they are sub.
jects. II II has had officials. there is no
remedy, for they are not responsible TO
people nor answerable TO public opin.
ion. II they have influence In Washing
ton, they can violate law and override
justice with impunity AS a temper.
airy expedient when the population is
sparse and poor and cannot sustain
local government, the territorial condi.
ton Ia necessary evil; but ii Is ex.
ceptionsl and temporary, and as soon
as the people are able to become self.
governing they are entitled 10 that
right. Every moment OF delay after
that time IL an outrage on their Amer.
icsnism.
desire briefly to state few facts
to show not only that New Mexico has
long passed that exceptional period,
bot that ne above stated II is better
prepared for statehood than any OF the
territories heretofore admitted.
Population. No territory at the
time of it's admission. with the excep.
ton of Dakota aud Utah, contained |
the population now in New Mexico. BY
the census Of 1900 II had 1875 $40 inhal-
itsnts, without counting the Indians on
the RI arystioDs The real population.
as has besn ,'JnelusIyeiy shown IN pub.
lie documents. was about 225 900. Bat, |
taking the census 1gures, the above
statement Is correct. must Lot oc.
cupy space With the fun list Of the |
populations of territories at the times
of their admission, hot, as examples