Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-01-26
Comprehensive Argument Be-
fore Staiehssd Committee
By G. A. Richardson
VIEWS OF DEMOCRAT
Cifixens Have 4 Guaranteed
Right hi be Free. Resources,
schools. Climate and In
dusfrie~

dress Of Hcn q a. Rsshzfdsc1 @ hoA
vsa before ths ssatsbo. eSaaius
* tie Aorze
u rrsa who appears at this tine
IL she faea m . presidential eaEsagn
an1 asks ~ she adnsEoa a . ter
rssosy sors any ozmsfas e. cz
rrexs ct 70 hare - gaa ard ! I'D
no Hsax zine I VI r1 fe~ ~ tass
Ess tsara Is Il graStax ecz1
sSon looking ID tke x1snsss1a e tksss
tsrTltorsss, Ar AZ sr7 Ffkythree
yexr hare pzsse sEce that matter
wzg psseafe6 sce the territorial
ruyannert. os the sa ofganiEtag the
serrsosy "a xes Mexieo. vas weenf
ed ii he aaaie a the Ualtet states
~. / sknk. HenrY Car FOrfs years
e1bgess ~osA eOTer the lives n
susae * she members q this commit
sses ant yes rhea ta add q that
talreeu yszrs nhss this territory has
tn saanoring ~ statehood and been
zsx t~ admission srss the Union
II Ii y very hng period.
Ren in shnz4 earlier days coadi
nons sere presented Ehich we're fay.
orzays % ssatehooi As much % as
rsny other states III Ibis Union. 81
n i appear gass 3 ilsrle BIZ Indignant it
grcvs ont "a the facs that Sew Mex.
ico las not been fairly treated hy both
Parties vhIch have controlled the ma
fionsi affairs 81 this country.
| have great respect for the mem
hers n this committee aud the fed.
egaI congress. but 4 ONE % me A.
an American citizen. and The question
naturally arises. IL there anything 10.
der the constitutional guaranty ~ a
republican form OF government Are
We 10 remain another half a century
an -outlying province" as Mr.. Read
said Of Alaska Are we 10 secure af
n time within the lives Of those OF
US who are young men. at middle age
any Of the guarantees and projections
and rights and privileges Of AmerL
can eiiizensg
II Is true that we are d D compelled
to live In New Mexico. but as young
men and young Americans we sought
to build homes In that territory. We
relied on the guarantees tnat have
been given 70 other communities that
some time We would be a state. and
that we would have the privileges Of
all the citizens Of the various states
Now. We have presented time and
again 10 the commltte which was the
predecessor Of this committee. and.
speaking through this committee TO
the congress of the United States. ON.
ditions that have been favorable to
statehood. II Is true that within the
last year a committee Of senators Wis
tied the territory They went there
with their minds made up adverse 20
Its admission. and they looked 70 con
ditlons only TO bolster up the position
they had previously taken. They pass
ed through the valley where tho gen
tleman from Missouri and the gentle
man from Maine and The gentleman
from Indiana passed and whore ! re.
side 10 the night time. with the lights
ont and the curtains drawn
When I went Into that valley. In the
town IN which I reside, down IN the
southeastern part OF New Mexico. and
opened the first law Office. there we're
not a dozen and a half houses In
the town Of Roswell. II was 200 miles
from a railroad. The pioneers who
had gone there had diverted the wa.
ters from the streams and applied II 10
the land and built homes. just AZ the
pioneers In Indiana and Illinois went
In and removed the forests and buili
homes. The town has now more than
fiye thousand people. There Is one
railroad and other railroads are com
Ing All 81 that has been done within
the last six or eight years. A large
community outside Is being settled
T. rougholt that valley and water is
being applied and has been for years.
As early as In the later seventies that
valley was settled substantially by the
farmers.
Al the time | went 10 Roswell the
question of statehood for New Mexico
o being agitated on the floors Of
congress and elsewhere. Since that
time the town Of Carlsbad. q place Of
$500 people. and one Of the prettiest
towns In the southwest. has grown W.
That had not been dreamed Of when I