Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-05-31
The Letter.

The Letter.
Washington, d. c., May !, 1907
my Dear Mr.. Hagerman:
"Mr, Clifford Pinchot has presented
to me your telegram to him in which
you ask that it be brought to my per
sonal attention, stating that hundreds
of people have sent kilograms to the
President protesting against my ac
cepting your resignation, and stating
furthermore that il my action in re
questing your resignation is not re
voked it will be calamity to- the Ter
ritory, and that if I will reconsider
this action you are positive | will see
the injustice and unWisdom of it from
every point of view.
Made an Unsatisfactory Governor.
This renders it necessary for me to
write you very plainly. You made as
am informed good secretary of le
CATION at the court of st. Petersburg
All that | have heard of your private
life is to your credit. Furthermore,
believe that you have done certain ex
cellent things while you were Cover
nor; and of course will permit moth
ing good that you have done to be I'M
done. But | must add that as whole
think you have been an unsatisfac
tory Governor and that your removal
from the position is imperatiyely de.
manded. If it were not for my knowl
edge of your previous career and OF
your standing in private life. and my
consequent reluctance to believe tEia'
your motives were AS Anproper as Ger
tain of your acts would Indicate,
should have removed you instead OF
requesting your resignation. have
not thought it necessary to go into
any matters as to which there was any
chance of controversy, and the depart
ment of justice has been as anxious
as | have been to show you all consid
Grafton, and to resolve every doubt in
your favor. Assistant Attorney Gen
era Cooley in his report purposely
omitted, as he informed me, the infer
ence which he believes ought legiti
mately to be drawn from the facts
that in the land grant transactions
wherein | believe your conduct was
blameworthy, you were actuated in
your improper and presumably unlaw
full action by your desire to secure the
aid of certain Democratic politicians
in the faction fight. I decided that in
this matter would give you the bene
fit of the doubt, and so as to your ac
tion in appointing six members of the
Legislative Council to lucrative posi-
tions, although there seemed to me nc
moral doubt that this amounted to the
bartering of Offices by you in return
for legislative support. AS for the
hundreds Of persons who have tele
graphed me on your account, I cannot
say that | have seen all of the tele
grams, but I have seen a great many
of them. | have received an even
larger number from persons in New
Mexico who protested against your re-
tention in Office. | have also received
numerous statements to the effect that
neither set Of kilograms was really
spontaneous. There has been no sin
gle instance in which the appointment
of Mr.. Curry as your successor has moi
received hearty commendation
Charges Were Not Shaken.
81 found that it was not necessary
to consider anything save Assistant
Attorney General Cooley's letter, from
the department of justice. This sets
forth a state Of facts which your per
sonal explanations, when before me
| in no way relieved, and which make II
impossible, in my judgment, to retain
you in Office unless am content tc
abandon all idea of holding public Of
ficers in New Mexico, or indeed else
| where, to any proper standard of off
cial conduct. This report from the de
| partment Of justice related to your de
livery of certain deeds to the Pennsyl
vania Development Company. 1t ap
pears that the grant of land, which was
| agreed to before you became Governor
was on its face grossly fraudulent;
and that the transaction could not be
completed save by your action, made
with full knowledge of its fraudulent
character. An Investigation into the
matter of these New Mexican lane
grants had been made by the Secre
tary Of the Interior and submitted tt
Congress. The chairman Of the com
mittee on public lands Of the House
Hon. John F. Lacey, on May !, 1906