Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-12-30
soc Capital Question.

In giving the main points of difference between the
Andrews single statehood bill and the Hamilton bill for
jointure-not cvriticising the bill in any manner, shape
or form, though the New Mexican makes that charge
The Citizen said, as one OF the differences
1T attempts to prevent a vote on capital location
before 1915; but of course any such provision in the .
will be inutile Immediately on the admission of New
Mexico as a state"
On this the New Mexican comments in these words:
This little item again let's the cat out of the bag. The
Albuquerque land and saloon ring cares not a farthing
for statehood except to capture the capital This is well
understood and well known. Right here that ring and
the papers in its pay will do well to take notice of one
thing: No constitution that does not fix the capital in
Santa Fe until 1915 and which does not provide for an
election by the people thereafter to make a change, can
or will be adopted by the people of New Mexico, or for
that matter of the state of Arizona. The Albuquerque
ring will do well to understand that it cannot yet wag
the New Mexico dog"
A few remarks on the New Mexican utterance seems
to be in order. % The Citizen is not in the pay of, nor
does it belong to, any land and saloon ring" or ring of
any kind; and the New Mexican will do well to remem-
Der that hard words and false charges butter no pars-
nips' either for a paper or for the cause which it ad-
vocates.
t) 1t will be seen that The Citizen in the sentence
criticised by the New Mexican did not mention Albu-
uuerque in any way. The cat in the bag is therefore
entirely in the mind of the New Mexican writer, and its
a%ttribution to The Citizen is as gratuitous as it is ground
tbs. Nudl NuIo "a duNu 10 hCih az ~ y AH's
of the ablest constitutional lawyers of the country; and
has reference to any and all bills connected with state
hood, either joint or single, and to all matters In which
the power of action by a sovereign state is attempted to
he curtailed in an enabling act. Such matters, whether
location of capital, prohibition of liquor selling, or any
other, may be forced into the first constitution by the
enabling act, but after the state has enered upon its
autonomy, there is no power outside of the people of the
state to prevent The adoption of another constitution.
go The New Mexican serves notice that the reten-
tion of the capial at Santa Fe for ten years is of such
paramount Importance that unless the people shall be
prevented from voting upon capital location before the
expiration of that time, the entire territory shall be de-
prived of the blessings of statehood-of any and all kind
and that indefinitely. If this is not letting out a cat
from a bag, it is only because the proposition is too
monstrous to be designated a cat. 1t should be called
a ferocious man-eating tiger. No doubt there are some
people in Albuquerque and many at other places in the
territory, who would like to see the state capital else
where than at Santa Fe; but The Unzen is satisfied that
not a single supporter of joint statehood in this terri
tory opposed the remaining of the capital at Santa Fe
for Ave years, and If a statehood bill should place II
there for ten, fifteen, or other period of years, this
paper does not believe such statehood bill would cause
a single detection from the joint statehood ranl'
tD Statehood is a blessing for New Mexico in It's
entirety, and so overshadows all local, municipal, polite
are not worthy of mention in the same connection.
Then, too, the possession of the capital is of but little
interest to Albuquerque. This city has been abb, is
now able. and no doubt will continue to be able, to q
along quite comfortably without II. Chicago does ~.
envy Springfield; st. Louis has no desire to wipe out
Jefferson City; San Francisco is oblivious of Sacramen
and New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans,
louisville, Cincinnati. and a few other towns, are MN
eminent. No doubt the metropolis Of New MeXi,o, by
a supreme effort, may be able to live and move and have
its being, no matter where the territorial or state capital
may be located; but statehood is an interest as high as
the heavens and as vast as the coming ages, and in it
is interested every son and daughter of New Mexico,
who now is or who shall hereafter he