Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-01-16

SOOu, ana law mas It's birth.
, The rudest form of the law making
power, that which is the first steL
, from absolute barbarism, is the autoc
racy, in which the chief, the king, the
; czar is the untrammeled AMI irrespon
sible law maker. With advancing civ
!, ilization come the oigarchy, where the
privileged class rules; the limited
y monarchy, where under constitutional
limitations the people are permitted
a partial participation in their own
government; and last and highest that
the human mind has yet conceive |
! the democracy, a government ''of the
people, by the people and for t! e peo-
lple."
Gentlemen, it is our restimable
good fortune to live in land and to
participate in the blessing of its gcv-
ernment, which is the capstone of the
temple of civilization, the pinnacle to
the pyramid of human liberty. And it
is our solemn responsibility that we
have been sent here by our several
constituencies as their representatives.
delegated with their power. commits
stoned with their authority, burdened
with their obligations and our own, to
exercise for them the diviuely given
right to make the laws for their own
government.
| Two facts augment on. responsible
ty at the present time. One is that as
| q Dortv wn nrn ovarub al mi IN o1v in tho
majority. This is ample warran. that
our legislation shall be along lines
characteristic and distinctive of our
great party principles.
| Had not the people desired Republi
can legislation, they had not sent us
here. These seats would otherwise be
now filled by our late campaign COM
petitors. The belief of the majority
evidently is that prosperity abidcs I'M
der the shadow of the wings of Re-
our legislative enactments shall coll
form to their belief. Yet, it behcoves
lis to remember that while we are the
majority, we are not the whole people.
A minority, respectable in members,
ability and wealth, have little repre-
sentation on this floor. 1t is therefore
incumbent upon us to be more regard
full of their rights, privileges and de-
sires; to be more careful of their in
terests, more heedful of their opinions,
| than We would be did nearly one-half
of this chamber contain their party
leaders.
The other fact is that New Mexico
is on trial, so to speak, before the re-
mainder of the country We have, to
use the language of the Scripture,
asked of the nation bread, and they
have given us a stone; we have asked
for fish, and they have given us a
serpent. Or to put it plainly, wei
have asked Congress to give us state
hood and they sent out a committee
that had predetermined to see no good
while they magnified the slightest
flaws We insisted upon our rights,
and they propose to take away our
name destroy our identity, and merge
us into a distasteful and undesirable
onglomeration, where there viii! bel
neither harmony of purpose, cOngeniai
ity Of pursuits, nor unity of interests.
The whole plan is based upon real or
affected mistrust Of our people. It is |
an undisguised assertion that by our
selves we are not qualified or prepared
for statehood. Hence every act of this'l
legislative assembly will be most
closely scanned, most widely dissem-
mated our friends will be seeking for
facts as illustrations to be hurled into
the very teeth of our caluminators; |
our enemies will seek acts and Incl.
dents that may be distorted into con-
f1rmation of their accusations. In our
hands, Gentlemen, rests the honor and
reputation of our beloved Sunshine
Land" Let us be wise as serpents,
harmless as doves. Let us bury ami
mosities, subordinate personal inter-
ests, forget local gains. Let us have
but one mind and one heart, to work
earnestly, harmoniously, speedily, ef-
fectively, for the public good. Let that
be our purpose and that alone.
And now word for myself. II
know 1t is not seemly for one enter
ing upon any enterprise, to make
broad predictions and wide extended
promises. The past is easily read. Its
successes or failures stand boldly out
as facts on the highway of events
bna'sto no man is it given to lift the
curtain of the future.
You must excuse me, then, If make
few promises. can say in all sinceri-
ty that bring to the position an hon.
est desire to serve you, my party and
our Territory, in way that shall be
satisfactory to you and creditable to
myself. have no personal prejudices
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