Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1904-04-11
That the Joint Statehood Bill
Will Be Passed by the 58th
Congress and That AIbu-
ouerque Eastern Will
Soon Be Built.
AMENDMENTS
TO BE MADE
Three Congressman in Place Of Two,
$4,000, 900 in Cash to Be Given
New Commonwealth.

General Manager w. S. Hopewell O.
the New Mexico Fuel and Iron Com
pany, returned to the city yesterday
after a two weeks visit in the east
where he has been hobnobbing with
the political grandes and railroad
magnates Of the country To a New
Mexican reporter, Mr.. Hopewell I'm
bosomed himself on political matters
to a certain extent as in conversation
with reporters of the New Mexican he
is always cautious, as he is the chair
man of the Democratic central com
mittee of New Mexico and as this is a
Republican newspaper, which might
get too much out of him and "give it
away"
Mr.. Hopewell found that the senti.
ment in Washington for the passage OF
joint statehood bills for Oklahoma and
the Indian Territory and for New Mex
leo and Arizona was strong and grow
ing rapidly among Democratic Sena-
tors and Representatives On Tuesday
last and before he left Washington,
the House committee on territories
agreed to an amendment to the pend
ing joint statehood bill for New Mexi-
co and Arizona giving minority repre-
sentation on all registration, election
and returning boards for the election
of delegates to the constitutional con-
yention and for the ratification of a
constitutional convention as we'll as
for the election of officers of the new
state. Delegate Rodey cheerfully
agreed to this amendment. This was
made without opposition from any one,
as both the Republicans and Demo-
Gratis deemed it to be fair In Okla
homa and in Arizona the provisions
for minority representation on all reg
istration and election boards is al
ready law.
Mr.. Hopewell believes from what he
found out in Washington that the joint
statehood bill will pass the House of
representatives with the amendment
above as it has been reported, within
the next two weeks; there will be sew
eral amendments in the Senate, one of
them to increase the number of con-
gressional representatives from two to
three; another to give the new state
of Arizona $1O,OO0,0O0 for the purpose
of paying portion of the territorial
debts of what is now New Mexico and
Arizona, the remainder to be used for
the public school fund of the new
state; there may be more minor
amendments, the utility and necessity
of which is now being discussed by
Senators of both parties. He does not
believe that the bill will pass the U.
S. Senate this session but with the
amendments made will surely pass
during the short session of the present
Congress and that the constitutional
convention as we'll as the election of
state officials and the ratification of
the constitution will take place during
the year 1905.
The House committee will not fight
the above amendments if made by the
Senate and it is understood that when
the bill goes to conference, the confer
ence committee will sustain and adopt
them.
Mr.. Hopewell, who is staunch
statehood advocate no matter at what
price, believes that if statehood shall
not be accepted by the people of the
two territories under this bill that
they will have to wait many long
moon for another chance to vote for
statehood. 1t is also his opinion that
at the national Republican convention
in Chicago, plank declaring for joint
statehood for the four territories will
be inserted.
AS to railroad situation, as his name
implies. he has some hopeful news
He is now reasonably sure that actual
construction work on the Albuquerque
Eastern Railroad from Moriarty sta
ton to Albuquerque distance of A
miles will commence within short
time and that not many months will
elapse before construction on othel
important branches contemplated by
the Santa Fe Central Railway will be
commenced and prosecuted. AS to the
particulars concerning these plans hi
would not talk. believing in this case
that silence was golden and for the
benefit of the projects which are un
der consideration by certain capital
lists who will visit New Mexico within
the next 80 days for the purpose o
looking carefully over the field and sat
isfying themselves personally as to th'
feasibility and money making results
of the projects.
The albuquerque Eastern will. O
course, be built in connection with tn,
Hagan coal fields owned by the New
Mexico Fuel and Iron Company. as I
has been demonstrated and that afte