Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-03-03


ton But all this investigating COM
mittee business was fraud and farce
from the beginning, and was only a
mask TO thinly conceal the real issue,
and had the territory been populated
by university graduates the report
would be the same.
The true explanation of the fierce
opposition to the statehood bill is
found in the objection of certain sena-
tors of long tenure to the admission
of six new senators, and thereby un
settling what they are pleased to call
the balance of power in the senate.
The situation is just this: There
,, is combination of senators who are
chairmen of the principal committees,
such as naval affairs. military affairs,
foreign relations, finance, etc, who
! shape the national policy and laws,
and no legislation or treaties can be
| concluded without their sanction. This
| combination might be called the exec
utive committee of the United States,
and are our absolute governors and
|
viewed with the gravest apprehension
the advent of six new senators, and
would none of IL. A similar condition
prevailed in the senate just before the
war of the rebellion when the oligarchy
of the south held the same power.
| They looked with the same apprehen-
sion to the coming into the union of
| the then new west, and when they
found it impossible to further contest
| the matter by regular means, they
! brought on a civil war.
| Perhaps our present oligarchy of
the east might not go so far as that to
| maintain themselves in power, but
they have not hesitated to go back on
the promises they made in the national
convention, or to untruthfully villify
| the good name of these territories or
to hold up all national legislation
against majority of the senate,
rather than allow the question to come
to a vote. There will always be a
| strong opposition from the eastern and
| especially the New England states, to
| the admission of any new states. or
| territories, either. A more unreasona-
BILE objection can not be imagined, for
the interests of New Mexico in our
common country could not be other
! wise than broad and patriotic, quite as
| much, if not more so, than that of the
east.
New Mexico did a wise thing
when it elected Mr.. Rodey to succeed
himself as delegate. He has been a
most indefatigable worker, and has ac-
complished as much as some state del. |
egations that comprised four or five
men. That he has been an earnest ad. |
vocate of statehood we all know, but |
we do not know the amount of other
work he has accomplished. | have been
IN his office nearly every day, and can |
speak from observation. There are
constant hidden attacks against the in !
terests of this territory that have to |
be headed off, and matters of a favora
BILE nature to be advanced. | know that |
the omnibus combination of the state
hood bill was originated by him so as
to secure a general support, and this |
was accomplished by his personal ac-
quaintance with his fellow members |
IN a great measure. When he first |
came to Washington he knew no one |
in the house, so he employed one of |
the pages who knew all the members |
TO put in his spare time at his desk and |
tell him who the different members |
were, until he knew them by sight. |
He then would make their acquaint-
ance and endeavor to gain their per
sonal favor. He is better equipped |
now to do good work than ever before,
and | shall be surprised If he does not
show this during his second term. Il
cannot say too much for his indefati.
gable industry He was mainly instru-
mental in advancing to a conclusion
the American Lumber company, which
has determined to locate here.
There is nothing that will contrib
ute so greatly TO the prosperity of this
country as irrigation, and law is in
existence which has appropriated sew
eral millions to this object. But what
chance has a territory with one vote
less delegate TO have any of these mil
lions spent within its area? State
hood would have put us in far differ
ent position. Another drawback is the
Elephant Butte dam case which seeks