Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1904-04-26
STATEHOOD
SITUATION
Fear That New Mexico is Dem
ocrat at the Bottom of the
Jolnture Movement.
NATIONAL PLATFORM
An Effort to Obtain Strong Statehood
Plank to Be Made by Friends Of
the Territories.

The st. Louis Globe Democrat in its
issue of Sunday prints a dispatch from
its correspondent at Washington, d. c.,
which throws considerable light on the
statehood situation. 1t seems that the
| Republicans deem the Republican ma
| jorities of late years in New Mexico as
unnatural and fear that after New Mex
leo is admitted to statehood it will be
! Democratic state. OF course, this is
nonsense, but it will be well this fall to
roll up an unprecedented Republican
majority on single statehood plat
form. That would induce Congress to
give this territory statehood within it's
present boundaries. The Globe Dem
ocrat dispatch says:
"Despairing of getting action on the
statehood bills in the United States
Senate at the current session of Con-
gress, it is the present intention of
Delegates Rodey and Mcclure to make
of statehood party question with the
Republicans and make sure that the
bill will go through at the short session
beginning in December. 1t is the pres
provision in the Republican national
platform covering the statehood mat
ter and binding the party to take ac-
ton if it retains it's majority in the
Congress, as it is expected to do.
Already some advance steps have
been taken in this direction. Senator
Quay, who because of Pennsylvania in
terests in New Mexico has long been a
champion of statehood for that terri
tory has indicated to the delegates
that he will be glad to support them at
! the coming national convention at
Chicago in any way possible. 1t was
through Quay's influence at the last
Republican convention that the plat
form pledge was made which has been
so often quoted by the advocates of
statehood on the floors of the two
| houses, Senator Quay will have
great deal to do with shaping issues
and with assisting in the general con-
duct of the coming campaign, and the
statehood advocates believe with his
assistance they can get what they
want
Some effective missionary work has
been done with Platt of Connecticut,
Allison, Aldrich and Cullom and other
Senate leaders. They realize now that
unless there is some action pretty soon
instead of having but two states to
bring in ther will be such a demand
for the territories and such an increase
| in the population that they will be de-
manding separate statehood for each
of the four. This would create four
Democratic delegations in Congress,
unless the political complexion of the
residents of the territories changes
in the next few years in most start
| ling and unexpected way.
THE Presidents name has been
used repeatedly, both by the friends
and opponents of statehood and by the
advocates of the different statehood
views. 1t can be asserted with author
| ity that the President has not espoused
the cause of any of the plans for state
hood What he has done has been to
| talk with the leading members OF his
party in both houses, and from them
ascertain the prevailing sentiment
He discovered, just as has been recent
ly demonstrated in the House of Rep
resentatives. that men of his party in
Congress want but two of the new
states. He has reflected this sentiment
to those who have inquired of him as
to the outlook In doing so he has Ia
ken the position that the matter is
purely legislative one and one be-
yond the prerogative of the chief exec
utive to interfere with. In this atti-
tude he has persisted. and has noted
the effort to involve him with mingled
feelings of Indignation and amuse-
ment"