The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-02-20
TALKS.
Member Of the Central Committee
Does Not Approve of the
Resolution.

Hon. G. A. Richardson. who is a
member of the Territorial Democrat
ic Central Committee, but who was
unable to attend the recent meeting
of the committee. was asked this
morning by a RECORD reporter
what he thought of the action of the
committee.
Mr.. Richardson said: after read
ing the statehood resolution that
was passed | was indeed very much
surprised that the committee had
apparently expressed it's desire for
statehood by the consolidation of the
two territories of Arizona and New
Mexico. | think this is a mistake.
First, for the material good of the
southwest, and second it is certainly
a political mistake. Some Of our peo-
pie are opposed to n kind of state
hood, preferring a territorial govern
ment, and IS per cent of them are
opposed to the consolidation of New
Mexico and Arizona for the purpose
of statehood.
Il will concede the intimation. or
rather the direct charge which the
committee made, that the Repubii-
can party as a party. both locally
and nationally, has not been in good
faith in favor of statehood for New
Mexico, although their committee
has lately passed a single statehood
resolution. In the proposition of sin
gle statehood the Democrats should
have followed the lead OF the Repub-
licans. In the face of the coming po-
litical campaign | am impressed that
the Democratic party by the action
of it's committee has practically
thrown away its chance for success
in this campaign, in the passage of
this resolution. Advantage will now
be taken by the Republicans in the
campaign to show to the native born
New Mexican that the Democrats
sought to join the two territories in
to one state in order to suppress the
native citizen vote. This of course
is not true, but it will be the cam
paign cry in the fall, and will be
used to rally hat vote to the Re
publican standard. The opposition of
the Republicans to consolidated state
hood is based purely on a selfish pc
litical motive. They fear that such
a state would be Democratic, and
one-half of the voters of that party
being native born citizens OF Span
ish descent would not have the same
opportunity politically and with some
the material advantages might be
~lessened, and these arguments will
used with telling effect against
Democrats in the coming cam
Il think | can safely say that no
desires to deprive any cit,
zen, whether of Spanish or English
descent, of either political, educa-
Lional, or material advantages or
opportunities. But the argument will
be made for the politi-
cal advantages that the Republicans
nay gather. The Republican party
IS a party. while many of its indi-
yidual members want statehood. has
committed a %grievous sin" locally
nationally in its action and con-
on the statehood proposition.
| am sorry that the Democratic
party seems to have fallen into a
ike serious error. The Republican
,arty made a material mistake. and
+ it were possible to connect that
,arty with spiritual affairs l would
iay that it was a spiritual mistake.
There is no possible chance of
statehood for the territories so long
8 the. Republican party is in power
t Washington. And / am truly sorry
hat a resolution could not have
substituted for the one adopted
y the Democratic committee strong
d its terms for single statehood for
lew Mexico, . resolution in charac-
81 that would have held Up the