Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-11-17
SILLY SUGGESTIONS

The morning paper claims to have received a sug-
gestion from a business man. and so st proceeds to print
and endorse it. The suggestion is sufficiently remark.
able in itself but its inferiority falls far below the more
remarkable endorsement which hat paper confers
upon it.
The suggestion is that "since New Mexico will be
practically without representation in the (59th) congress,
which will convene the first Monday of next month, it
would pay the people of the territory to make a volun-
tary monthly contribution In order to send to Washing
ton a man to represent it. The suggestion also selects
Mr.. Rodey for the position and says that he would be
recognized as the representative of the territory to all
intents and purposes, except that he would not be entitled
to a seat on the floor Of the house"
Such is the suggestion, and a more aDsurdly ridicu-
lous one never entered the mind of a sane human being.
In the first place, it proceeds upon an absolutely enron
eous assumption, which is that New Mexico will be
practically without representation in the coming con
gress. On the contrary, w H. Andrews is the delegate
to congress from New Mexico, so recognized and accept
ed by the federal government, from which he has been
drawing his salary as delegate since the 4h of last
March, when Mr.. Rodeys time expired. That Delegate
Andrews will be at the opening of congress and will take
his seat, scarcely admits of doubt At least, so far,
only death can prevent his doing so; for while there have
been suits brought against him in connection with the
Enterprise bank matter, they have not been decided,
and even if they had been, they are not of a criminal
character, being merely civil suits for alleged indebted
ness, and carrying with them no shadow of ground for
congressional action. Hence, it remains as just said,
that Mr.. Andrews without doubt will be present at the
opening of congress and take his seat as delegate from
New Mexico.
That Mr.. Rodey would be recognized as an official
representative of New Mexico, ito all intentss and pur-
poses" while the territory has a legally selected and
accepted delegate, is too childish for a moments consid-
GRAFTON. Could Mr.. Rodey be induced 10 put himself in
so ridiculous an attitude, (Which The Citizen does not
believe would be possible, for no one knows better than
h edoes the impracticabiity of such a madcap scheme)
the very first member of congress whom he might APP
preach on New Mexico business would suggest to him
that the said business would better come through the
territorial delegate. Apart from this, it would seem to
many both in congress and out OF It, that MI. ROdey,
having been defeated by Mr.. Andrews both before the
nominating convention and at the polls, whether by fair
means or foul few would stop to learn, his going to
Washington and there tempting to supplant Delegate
Andrews would be considered more than indicate. In
addition Mr.. Rodey is now engaged in the work of joint
statehood, and like one of old he would reply to the sug-
gestion in the morning paper. 81 am engaged in a great
work and cannot come down. And, finally, such effort
to supplant his rival, ito all intents and purposes" would
prove very injurious to his governorship prospects, as
the two functions could not be combined.
The good things which the suggestion says about
Mr.. Rodey and which the morning paper endorses, were
much more appropriate before the nomination took place
than they are when New Mexico has a delegate. The
Citizen said them at the time, while the Journal was one
of the bitterest opponents Mr.. Rodey had. But in this
as in all else, he Journal shows itself to be a true after
gate, months after the qeustion has been settled, is only
an additional indication of how the morning paper tails
on behind The Citizen.