The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-10-15
STATEHOOD FROM A DEM
OCRATIC STANDPOINT


ord to say what it seriously thinks
about this new single statehood talk,
and what it thinks of the question it
self, both from the point of view of
what is best for New Mexico, and
from a Democratic standpoint.
Statehood is certainly to be desir-
ed in preference to our present con-
dftio1, at the earliest time We are
able safely to assume its cost, dan
gers and responsibilities. We ought
to govern ourselves as soon as we
are able to do so properly.
Has that time now arrived? That
is the vital question, and n which
the nation must answer through the
national congress-. No matter how
confident the people of New Mexico
may be of their fitness for self-gov-
er1ment, that will not settle the
question. indeed it will have little
effect on it one way or the other. The
truth of this we have learned to our
humiliation many a time in the past.
Will the present attempt end in tri-
umpn or in a new humiliation? The
oftener we make an attempt, n
fail, the worse it is for us. Every at
tempt precipitates animated discus
sion in and put of Congress, when all
our disabilities, real and imaginary,
are exploited, exaggerated and adver-
tised to the world, doing vast harm
tt our territory and to its people. A
new attempt ought not to be made
without a practical certainty of sue
cess. What are the chances?
A year ago the President said, in
acts if not in words, that New Next
co alone was not fit for statehood,
and that if we had it at all within a
generation we must marry Arizona
to get it. Senator Beveridge, the
chairman of the Senate Committee
on Territories, said h same thing
in even more confident language.
The President is reported to have
changed his mind and to have prom
Used Governor Curry that he will do
all in his power to secure our admis-
sion to the Union at the next session
of Congress. If the President was
right a year ago in his belief of the
unfitness of our people to govern
themselves unaided by the people of
Arizona, he must be wrong now, or
in one short veal the people of New
Mexico have been politically, socially
and ed~ucationally born again and re-
generated, and fitted to take a seat
with the forty-fiYe other sisters com
posing the cho of b Union. If he
is correct now, there must have been
a political n social cnange here
within two years to which the history
of the world does not find a parallel.
But, of course, the President must
be right, and it would be next thing
to ''lese majestic" to hint otherwise.
Unit about two years ago he had new
er paid much attention to the affairs
OF New Mexico; but during the last
eighteen months, particularly, he has
taken a very active hand, and this,
no doubt, accouAts for IL political
regeneration in s6@short a time. The
reason that it mas often taken a cen
fury for other peoples to accomplish
what the people of New Mexico seem
to have accomplished in less than
two years is because they had no
Theodore Roosevelt to lead them.
OF course we must now be fit for
self government, or the President
would not now favor statehood for
New Mexico. Otherwise it o be
a danger which we ought not to as
sumo, and it woul be a great wrong
- - 49, --+s@a IA 100 18th
out saying that ne would not favor
statehood for any reasons of tram
silent party politics, because he never
does anything of that sort. (Remem-
Der this article is entirely serious).
Some narrow minded men are saying
that the President favors immediate
statehood for us so we viii send to
Washington two Republican sena-
tors to offset the two Democratic sen
ators to be sent by Oklahoma. That
would be unworthy of the President,
and therefore cannot be true. None
but an undesirable citizen" dare hint
such a thing. Statehood, once granted
can never be taken await will be
permanent as the everlasting hills
but the political complexion of both
Oklahoma and New Mexico may
change many times in m generation.
Besides this the President is too
good a politician to bet on New Mex
leo being safely Republican, ever at
the beginning of its existence as a
state. He must know b a the Repub-
'lican majority has been rapidly trav-