Arizona republican., 1906-10-20
A SPANISH EDITION
 OF ARIZONA STATUTES
Some Stories Of How the Law Was Administered in New Mexico Few Years A1o.

Here are two or three little stories of true history as they occurred un- der the observation of the man who relates them. They are told solely for their interest though they reflect con ditions existing in New Mexico and northern Arizona twenty-fiv years ago and from all reports these con- ditions in many parts of New Mexico have not changed but very little to this day. It is happy fact though. that no such conditions exist in north ern Arizona these days.
 In most New Mexican towns at the time referred to. and in some of them it is still claimed. the natives have a very crude idea Of law and their con ception of it is that men are elected to office mainly to further the interest of their friends. To illustrate in most towns there are two justices of the, peace. One faction of the popu- latton combines and elects one and the other elects the other justice When a man gets into trouble or wants to get somebody else into trouble he patronizes the justice elected bY his faction and very naturally expects the law to be construed in his favor. Il is a very pretty theory for every man can be a king by having his own court to enforce his contentious. Tn one instance a man named Marcus Baca had given a note to another Mexican named BaCa and refused to pay it. The aggrieved one applied tO his attorney and was advised to bring suit. He refused to do so on the ground that the justice before whom it would have to be tried belonged to the Marcus Baca faction. and the de- fendant would naturally get the yer dict. The attorney sent for Marcus Baca. who admitted the debt. but at the suggestion of payment he threw up his hands as much as to say he did not have to pay it. The attorney fin ally made him a talk that caused him to settle out of court. A good personal talk or pull was more effective any time than the law.
 Later this lawyer was elected pro- bate judge. He had in the meantime won so many cases by not going to law that he established a popularity and reputation that no justice in those parts ever enjoyed The result was that while acting as probate judge he was doing more private business than both justices in the town for the people came to look on the justice court as an institution of whichever faction could secure it for serving it's own ends
 And just how valuable that office was considered by those who had axes to grind was Illustrated in another case wherein this same Marcus Baca had been. elected justice He was counted out and contested the election. spending S3O0O before he got through with his contest and established his just claims. By that time he was practically bankrupted and his term of office had very nearly expired.
 Another story is a part of Arizona history. Northern Arizona was peo- pied very largely by Mexicans and Mexican justice of the peace was elected in St Johns. He was a booze fighter. couldn't talk English. and held court in the back end of store. One day a case was brought before him by a lawyer named T Edgar O'Brien. The court was drunk but that made no difference. It only increased it's dignity. A copy of the statutes was resting on the stove, for it was sum mertime. Lawyer OBrien stated hiss