Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-02-14
" COAL OIL /

inc coal OIL Dill mas been passed
by the Legislature. Therefore, the
newspapers rag and the people mag.
Inc vain things.
Our esteemed contemporary, the
Albuquerque Journal. INDUCES in a
whole column OF denuncialion, In
the course Of which II frequently
gets black In the face.
While The Journal undoubtedly
holds honest objections to the coal
oil bill and can produce arguments
against It's passage, the chief n be-
Ing a prejudice against the measure
which undoubtedly exists. we believe
tina, II has ovordone the matter In
its ~denunclatlon The assumption
seems To be made thar any such meas.
IRE Is In itself pernlcious and that a
coal oil inspector Is necessarily a
huge CRATER. Wero this the case we
wonld hardly find similar measures
on the statute books of Missouri,
Kentucky. California, Texas, Mlnne-
sofa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire
and numerous other states.
The fact IL that the legislators o.
other states have found It wise and
necessary TO have the petroleum pro-
ducts sold within their states inspect
ed and have provided officers tor that
duty. and deputies 70 work under them,
The state OF New Hampshire even
provides for a special inspector fer
each and every town OF over 1900 IN.
habitants.
The very fact thai other states
maintain inspectors for these products
Is the strongest argument for the
creation Of The office In New Mexico.
For the unprotected state or territory
naturally becomes the dumping
ground for all the improperly refined
oil which the companies can't market
II It must pass through the inspector.
New Mexico by maintaining an ins.
| psctor Is simply protected against
the bad oil which runs this way as
naturally as water II n down hill.
Evidently our legislature In not TO
be damned unless our bin contains
some especially pernicious feature.
The statement, however. Is made
by The Journal that the inspector is
10 receive approximately 10000 n
year, the figures being based on the
statement ~ the "oil salesman" We
have no figures ON which TO deny
the assertion but We venture, without
figures. 10 say that no such salary
goes with the office. The oil sales,
man who furnished the Journal with
statistics might possibly have been
aetnated by q desire 10 make the
measure appear az Objectionable as
possible, The salary Is possibly as
large AZ that OF The assessors II first
tAtHH A1fbNiN@ - wv alffI tit pay fU'Ii'
OF deputies Is reckoned We seriously
doubt whether II will equal The sal
aries OF assessors.
The Journal asserts further, in
bold, black type, that the people dc
not want better oil but they want
cheaper oil and throughout its article
II maintains that the creation OF the
office OF inspector will cause a rise
In the price Of oil. Undoubtedly the
people want cheaper oil but tho oil
trust and not the territorial leglsla
ture regulates the price and II IL doubt
full whether II will be moved by the
desire Of the people, Certain II Il
thai when the office Of oil inspector
was abolished two years ago the oil
trust made no reduction In the price
Of the commodity as II was claimed
they would do.
We do not doubt. however. IL within
the next decade price Of oil Is raised
that II will be attributed directly "a
the creation Of the inspectors office,
In the year 1906. when AS a matter OF
fact II may he entirely due to the In
creased expenses OF Chicago universe
~.
The wisdom Of the legislature may
be questioned In passing the coal oil
bin in view of the prejudice which
has existed In the popular mind
p, against the measure We do not be
lieve. however. that the Legislators
will be subject TO as severe criticism
from their continents as Is aniic'pai'
! cd hy fhe Journal