Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-02-24

Ine district attorney bill was intro
duced and crowded through with an
unceremonious disregard for the
wishes of the members or their un-
derstanding of the measure. which
was hardly ever exceeded even in the
days when bills We're passed i'm the
republican committee rooms in the
old Palace Then Mr. Holt brought
forward his resolution to exclude ter
ritorial officials from the floor of the
house as lobbyists. The plain attempt
to insult was generally understood
Indeed there was no attempt to dis
guise II, nor was there any attempt
to disguise the purpose of the noto-
rious skiddoo bill and its accompany
ing measure. From the opening day
of the session the extra employe graft
was allowed to run riot and it was
only after an indignant public sentl-
ment had demanded decency and a
congressional act had placed a limit
on the funds that the old-time sys-
TEN was brought to a sudden check
Thus measure after measure and
move after move, as made in the
house by the machine manager.
showed the hand of the machine and
its purpose.
r.
age the machine campaign in the
house was natural. although It has
proven unfortunate for the Bursum
following, Holt has been machine
man since his debut into New Mexico
politics He appears to have always
obeyed orders and to have been ready
to obey the command Of the dominant
boss His activity i'm that hotbed of
A
been in the interest of machine men
and methods. AS early as 1900 There
is evidence Of Mr.. Holts activity in
machine politics, although the fOun-
dation of the Bursum ring was then
just being laid.
In an official report by a president
Of the Agricultural college. of which
Mr.. Holt later became a regent. evil
dence is found of MIR. Holts activity
in the organization. Mr. Frederick
w. Sanders, the official in question,
now connected with an educational
institution in Lincoln. Neb.. COM
plains bitterly i'm a long official re-
port to the board of regents. of The
attempt to force himself and other
members of the faculty, whether
democrats or republicans to contrib
Mr.. Sanders says in this report that
of his personal knowledge several
members of the faculty were threat
ened with dismissal if they did not
contribute to the campaign fund, and
his omen exposure of the system of
levying contributions on the employees
Of the college seems to have had a
tendency to end it, or at least make its
operation more cautious.
The following extracts from this re-
port are interesting as showing the
methods in vogue in Dona Ana coun-
ty, and which later came into use in
other counties, under the fostering
care Of the machine In the course OF
his report President Sanders says:
THE facts of the case of assistant
Professor Hare, well known to be a
democrat. are as follows: The first
time he was approached by an advo-
cate of the republican party he was
urged to support the ticket of that
party and consented to listen to the
arguments of its advocate. who pro-
ceeded to urge the usefulness to the
college of republican success, and to
declare the unftness of one after an
other of the candidates on the joint
citizens and democratic ticket, so as
to exhaust the patience of Mr.. Hare
who interrupted him to declare that
he would not listen to any further
denunciation of the anti-republcan
candidates; that he was a democrat
and believed that the democratic
ticket had just as good men as the
republican ticket. Notwithstanding
this failure to move Mr.. Hare. how
ever, few days later. on the Sat
urday preceding the election Mr. Her
bert b. Holt, a member of the repub-
lican committee for Dona Ana county
and candidate for the territorial
council (Mr. Holt was not then a
member of the board of regents). ac-
companied by Mr.. Jose Gonzales, a
candidate for reelection as county
superintendent of schools came to
the college and asked Mr.. Hare to
contribute to the republican campaign
fund. Mr.. Hare refused, and Mr.. Holt
accepted the refusal. He then, how
ever told Mr. Hare and the other gem
tlemen present-Messrs. Goss and
Tinsley-that 1t had been said to
him in the committee meeting that
he should demand the contributions
and tell those of whom he had made
the demand that they would lose their
Jobs If they did not pay; but that he
had refused to deliver any such mes
sage and had said that he would ask
for the contribution; but would not
make the threat. If it was to be
made, some one else must do it,"
The report then discusses the sys-
TEN of demanding campaign contri-
buttons of members of the faculty, at
great length, showing a most surpris-
ing condition of affairs in the college
management at that time, a condition
which has fortunately since been re-
moved.
Among other things the report says
Professor Barker Can Englishman
by birth, who had not at that time
taken out his final papers as a citl-
zen) was asked for a contribution by
Mr.. Holt, accompanied by Mr.. Con
zales. Mr.. Holt argued that he (Bar-
kerr had many friends in the repub-
lican party who had helped him, to
whom, indeed, he owed his position !;
he ought to now help the party. He
added that he had been told to say
something to him that he did not care
to tell him. Professor Barker did not
Inquire what this was, but supposes
that it, was the threat from members
of the executive committee. of which
he learned from the gentlemen to
whom Mr.. Holt repeated 1t while dis
avowing it. 1t is to be observed that
Mr.. Holt seems always to have re-
ferred to this threat Except in his
Interview with mel, although in terms
he declined to make it his own"
This and much more the report
contains, tending to show how very
actively Mr.. Holt was connected with
the machine and how zealously he
served Il. even to the extent of re-
peatlng threats to members of the
college faculty, which, however. he
declined to make. And from that
time Mhen an edmrainr rebelled