Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-09-03
VISIBLE RESULTS
ARE MORE C0NyINC.
ING THAN FIGURES
If the Latter Never Lie, They Sometimes
Tell But Half the Truth---Bursum's
Administration Can Rely Upon
Its Own Achievements.

Now that the star chamber investi'
cation of the penitentiary manage
ment under the late superintendent,
Hon. II. o. Bursum, has been CON-
pleted, and a report thereon made
public through an Albuquerque morn
ing paper, the course pursued through
out the whole affair becomes properly
subject to review and 1t Is but COM
petent and timely that the press OF
the Territory should discuss the en-
tire matter thoroughly for the purpose
of further enlightening that most in.
terested of all parties concerned,
namely, the tax payer. Such will be
the course of the New Mexican, and
with that object in view the statisti-
clan of this paper has read with care
and minuteness the report submitted
by representative of the Colorado
Title and Trust Company, together
with such gratuitous misrepresenta-
tion as was generously added by the
management of the Albuquerque Fakir
Journal
The report is certainly voluminous,
for it covers four closely printed pages
Of the paper in question and more
are threatened If such action be deem
ed advisable. Furthermore, the re.
port is interesting very inter-
esting-at times inaccurate, and eX-
tremely biased-or shall it be called
misleading? AS examples of these
contentious, it may be observed that
the report is dated August 30, 1906,
and that in the body Of the document
appear five statements, reiterations,
affidavits, etc, to show that Mr.. Bur
sum owed the Territory $500 which
had been paid by his predecessor, Mr..
Bergman, and enormously credited to
MI. Bursum. AT an inconspicuous
place at the end Of the report appears
a correction stating that Mr.. Bursum
had discovered this error himself and
voluntarily forwarded the money to
the treasurer on July 27, 1906, more
than one month before the report is
dated
Few Discrepancies Made BY Experts
In Reports.
Several references are made to the
vital necessity of reproducing a GER
tain important journal, while from a
efootnote at the end of the report it
appears that the book was sent to
Superintendent Trelford by Mr.. Bur.
sum on July II, 1906-nearly two
months prior to the date Of the re-
port. Was it really necessary to so
voluminously exploit these closede in.
cidents?
But let more serious phase of
this subject be considered. Here is a
document which purports to be an ex-
pert's report, made under the name
and by authority of supposedly re-
liable and impeccable actuary, po-
sition universally recognized as the
most delicate OF all trusteeships in
which one must base conclusions
solely upon clean-cut facts, and must
in no wise color any statement for
the purpose of producing misleading
effects. The report in it's findings at
tacks in his very heartstrings the
ability, credit, uprightness and hon
esty Of a man who has been highly
honored by all of his fellow citizens
in New Mexico for eighteen years
a man who served his county faithful
ly as sheriff for two terms, who has
been member of the upper branch of
the legislature, and who last, but not
least unquestionably redeemed the
territorial penitentiary from practical
financial ruin and made 1t what 1t Is
today. Against the record of service
and ability submitted by this man, our
dapper expert from Colorado Springs
places the affidavit of foreman of the
clay bank, a man who, upon his own
oath, admits that he carried only in
his head accounts covering period
of months and involving hundreds of
dollars, to show that Mr. Bursum has
abstracted from the penitentiary funds
the princely sum Of $400. Ye Gods,
and little fishes! 1t is to laugh!
An Instance Of Direct Misrepresenta
tion.
, AS an excellent example of .deliber.
ate Misrepresentation, It may be noted
that on the first page of this news
paper article it is stated in all sober
ness that during Mr.. Bursum's admin
istration the average earnings from
convict labor were but $1,000 per
month, while those of his successor
were more than three times as large.
But look at the table on page two
which shows these earnings by years
from 1899, when Mr. Bursum took
charge, to the date of his resignation
in 1906. In 1899 the convicts' earn
ings averaged less than 5000 per month.
Thanks to the business ability, fore
sight and energy displayed by Mr.
Bursum during his seven years in
cumbency, this earning capacity was
increased fully 1000 per cent, so that
the day he resigned, the institution
had been earning, and is still earning,
upon contracts secured by Mr.. Bur-
M I