Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1904-07-13
Delegate Redey Writes Interest
ingIy on the Various Attempts
to Secure Admission for
New Mexico.
HIS LETTER OF
II YEARS AGO
"Reminiscences and Congressional Epi-
sodes, Which Are Historical
and Unique.

| have been an advocate of state
hood for New Mexico for almost the
entire time of my residence in the
Territory, and | came here in the
spring of 1881. In 1887, seventeen
years ago, the New Mexican sent out
a circular asking for the views of citi-
zens ON the subject of statehood, and
it is interesting at this time to quote
what I then stated to that newspaper
l take it from my scrapbook:
ITO the Editor of the New Mexican.
Albuquerque, N. NJ, Dec. %. 1887.
Dear Sir: Answering your circu-
lar with reference to our admission
as state l have to say: am in favor
of statehood under favorable consti-
tuition. To use the words of the SUI
preme court Of the United States,
The theory of our government is to
leave to the inhabitants all the powers
of selfgovernmen consistent with the
supremacy of national authority. I'm
der our institutions Territory is an
incongruity, and gives congress some
privileges that partake of the nature
of Imperialism 1t should only exist
like martial law, when nothing else
will do The territories are the butt
of congressional 'bunkum and 'dema-
gogsm, they are the handcuffed de-
Tendencies of the nation. | know some
argue we should not crave statehood
until the Americans can out-vote the
| MeXicans.' To such | unhesitatingly
say: Gentlemen, am in favor of ma
jority rule everywhere, when it does
not contravene the constitution Of the
United States, and if you do not like
this Territory, nobody will object to
your going somewhere else. The bene-
fits of statehood are legion, and are the
birthright of every citizen; the evils
and Inconvenience of a territorial gov
ernment. hampered legislature, an
inadequate judicial system, carpetbag
officials, officers for revenue only, are
too numerous to mention. The re-
sponsibility of all officials should be
to the people whose offices they hold,
and not to a far-away administration
at Washington. l have lived here long
enough to know that New Mexico
wants two things; to have her land
titles settled, and to be admitted as
state. the rest will follow. Respec-
fully yours. Bernard S. Rodey.
The land titles have since been hap
PLY settled, but as to statehood
where are we at?
Everyone of us who came to New
Mexico as long ago as 1881, immediate
" after the coming of the railroad, eX-
pected that the Territory would soon
be a state How many of us have CIV
en- w our lives, for twenty-three years
of anybody's lifetime is long period,
to New Mexico without that expectan-
cy! How many of us would have done
so could we have foreseen the great
number of years we were to be denied
our rights?
When I look back over history,
cannot but feel that New Mexico's
people and New Mcxico's representa-
tiyes in Congress, must h've been neg
ligent in making the proper fight, CT
surely we would have gotten into the
Union in 1889 and 1890, when the
Northwest Territories got in, or at
: least in 1896, when Utah was admitted.
, If anybody argues that in those years
Congress would not have admitted us
with Montana, North and South Da-
kota, Wyoming. Idaho and Washing
ton, surely such persons will not ar
: que that we ought to have been kept
out when Utah was admitted IN 1890
Hon. Antonio Joseph represented US
in Congress from 1885 to 1895, aI-.t,
while he several times passed the bill
in the House, he does not seem to have
made any great effort to pass it in the
Senate. How it happened that Mr..
: Catron in 1895 permitted the Utah bill
to become a law without attaching an
: enabling act for New Mexico to 1T IS
| something never could understand.
! Of course. there may have been good
reasons in both cases for their not
nassing the bills, but If there were
good reasons, never heard what they
were.
New Mexico has done great deal
of work endeavoring to be admitted to
the Union, but when one looks back
over the history of it ALL it can plain
" be seen that the work done was not
: of the right kind. Probably everyone
of New Mexicos thirty-four Legislative
assemblies, during The last half cen
tury. has memorialized Congress to adj
nit New Mexico to the Union. Only
in the last two congresses can it be
said that the Territory really made a
vigorous effort and attracted serious
national attention.
e It is not nearly as easy now to bring
|