The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1906-09-13
HAGERMAN ON REFORM.
Would Abolish Gambling and Place
High License on Saloons.

would Abolish Gambling and Place
High License on Saloons.
Under the auspices of the Good
Government League at Las Vegas,
last Sunday night Governor H. J. Ha-
german delivered an address at the
Duncan opera house, which was
packed. The address, in part, was as
follows:
Governor Hagerman's Speech.
Il need not assure you, Mr.. Chair
man, that ever since the movement
which We have assembled here to en-
courage and promote. was first start
ed in Las Vegas, l have followed it
with the deepest interest and great
est sympathy. 1t seems to me that
the organization of the Good Govern
ment League of Las Vegas is indie
fnitely more significant and of far
greater Importance than the people
of the Territory generally realize. 1t
is significant because it shows that
a majority of the people of Las Veg
as, like a majority of the people of
all parts of New Mexico, are at heart
right in their ideas of decency and
honesty in civic government. 1t is
important because it proves that
many of our people, in spite of dis
couragement and opposition, have the
courage to proclaim their ideas. What
you are doing is bound not only to
result in great good to your own
city, but it is sure to encourage the
men who have inaugurated similar
movements in other places in the
Territory If you are successful here,
as you are bound to be in the end,
if you do not lose faith or allow your
selves to be led off by specious argu-
ments of selfish men, you will encour-
age many other communities to do
what you have done. You will put
strength into the timid but well mean
ing, you will stiffen the backbone of
those who want but are afraid to do
right, and you will make the COM
promisers ashamed of themselves.
1t cannot be denied that when
few men get together, as did the men
who formed this league, to try to
effect an organization for the better
abuses, they meet with many appall-
ing discouragements and set-backs.
However vital the necessity of re
form, however fragrant and open the
breaches of the law, however plain
and indisputable the results of bad
government, the number of people
who are at first willing to take an
active part in any movement of re-
form is astonishingly few. There are
always a great many who agree to
the necessity, who acquiesce in the
movement, and are willing to come
in wnen it has proven success but
who want others to take all the re
sponsibility of initiating it. This al
ways was so and doubtless always
will be so as long as human nature
is as it is, and l, for one, am not at
all willing to lose my faith in man
kind because so many men refrain
from resisting public corruption un-
til it has reached the point OF satur-
alton and the limit of endurance.
1t is probably not to be wondered
at that so many private citizens
should hesitate about interfering
with the regular order of things,
however bad that order of things
may be. The chances are that as an
individual he will lose out because
the powers against him are united by
the common interest of financial prof
it, and if they have political power
to back them, as they usually do
they can make the individual suffer,
and this too, they usually do. The
way of the innovator is certainly not
a path of roses, nor does it lead to
popularity We can scarcely blame
the average citizen for hesitating to
assert himself when asked to come
out and work for decency and hon
esty in civic government. He Will
agree with you in theory when you
remind him of mis- duty of citizenship
but not until he begins to sweat
blodd, will he come forth and do his
duty.
II is far easier for the private cit.
izen, it is far easier and much more
agreeable in many ways for the pub
lie official to join in the close cor.
poration for the suffocation of truth
places, than it is to come out and
call a spade a spade. There is ex
cuse for the private citizen, but when
public official who has any sense
of duty whatever or any respect fol
the truth imposed upon him, has
tho aIt.,rn tive of yaccentiuC harmony