The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-12-26

more than 160 acres should be sold
to any one person or association of
persons The transaction was COM
pleted before Hagerman took office.
Ten thousand dollars had been paid
in cash, interest on the unpaid bal
ance had been collected for years and
a note for some $4,000 was held by
the Territory for the balance of the
purchase price, and a number of deeds
executed by Hagermal's predecessor
in Office were held as security pend
ing final payment. Possession of the
and much of the timber, for which a.
lone the land was valuable, had been
cut and removed.
iHagerman, as Governor, took the
money in payment of the note on the
ground that if there was any illegal
ity in the official transaction its ac-
ceptance could in no way interfere
with any action the Territorial gov
chasers, and the money would serve
as partial indemnity for the timber
cut. The money from the sale remain
ed tied up in the bank long after the
removal of Hagerman, and was not
distributed until McHarg, acting up
on the authority given him from
Washington, ordered it's distribution.
The letter of instructions has already
found its way into the New Mexico
press.
Mr.. McHarg evidently was acting
under the instructions of the Attorney
General. His action upon such author
ity has generally been accepted as a
complete vindication of former Gov
ernor Hagerman's action in the mat
ter, which was the only cause alleged
by the President for Hagerman's re-
moval
To all who have followed the course
of this transaction there is a strange
discrepancy in the fact that Hager-
man was removed from office on a
General acting under direct instruc-
tions from the President, because he
had no right to touch this money I'M
der any circumstances, while its dis
tribution and expenditure was order
ed by Assistant Attorney General Nc
Harg, acting under direct instructions
from the Attorney General of the
United States.
ton there have been repeated at
tempts through administration sourc-
es to Ibelittle Hagerman and the work
done by him, and to make it appear
delight by vast majority of the peo-
pie of the Territory. It is believed
by many that ever since March, 1906,
his retirement from the Philippines
was contemplated and the President
was seeking a good position in the
United States with which to provide
him. Several places were talked OF
for him, but, until the vacancy in
New Mexico was created none of
them seemed acceptable.
That Hagerman was a Hdisappoint-
ment' to the President is apparent;
he was also a disappointment" to
the machine politicians of New Mex
leo, who for years had managed
things there with high hand and
whose influence ne was determined
to and did end But that he was a
disappointment" to the advocates of
good government in New Mexico is
not true.
He had 'twon olft" against a thor
oughly intreched system of machine
methods which for years had been
notorious, and he had the support of
all the right-minded people of tne
Territory The Presidents action in
removing him after this victory was
achieved and in giving a new lease
of life to the members of the ma
chine is explained by those who hitl.
erto believed in his sincerity oaly on
one theory, and that is that he is
consumed by an ambition to control
the next Republican convention, and
was persuaded that, with Hagerman
in office, he might lose tae six dele
gates from New Mexico.
If he is determined to secure the
New Mexico delegates it was, of
course, necessary that the machine
should be relieved of the paralysis
with which Hagerman and his sup