The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-03-08

has a right7 Did it get fair usage IN
1905 waen Mr.. Bursum was supreme?
1t got only $1,000 more for the sup
lport OF its lis students tina Bursum's
town got for the support of about rs
students in the Socorro School of
Mines. If the Governor and his
friends should surrender any vital
principle in the way of compromise
the Institute would not get one cent
more or less, if getting depends on
the good will of the vicious machine.
1t has no good will for anything but
itself. Neither the Republicans nor
Democrats of the Pecos Valley care
more for temporary local interests
than they do for the very foundation
principles for which the Governor
and his supporters are fighting, and
the Republican papers should be the
last ones to lead people to infer hat
they do.
One OF the chiefest assets and
sharpest Weapons of the machine has
been and is now, its cunning system
of rewards n punishments.
1t say to a member of the Legisla-
ture, you must vote for anything We
propose, or we will not give you To-
cality what it ought to have. 1t says
to the locality, whip your member
into line, or we will ruin his politi-
cal future by making it impossible
for him to get anything for you. This
system of blackmail has long been
practiced, and is o being used for
all it is worth. The way to perpet-
nate this infamy is to surrender, and
the way to kill it is to storm the
main fortress, knowing that when
that is destroyed all the minor points
will be won.
The President and his advisors put
the Governor in his place of trust
and responsibility for the sole reason
that they expected him to do, and be
lieved he would do just what he has
done, and is doing, and they would
Justly hold him in contempt if he
should be weakened, and forget his
duty.
Woe to the party which forgets that
truth, honesty and fidelity to the peo-
pie and clean methods have an inher-
ent, God-given advantage over lies,
r~ascality, betrayal of the people, and
trickery. The bad may prevail for a
time, but in the end the men or the
party h support it will be smashed,
as sure as fate. This is a mighty
good thing for us republicans to re
member always, but especially at
this time.
To better understand this contest
let us take a look at h is ging OF
in Santa Fe now.
Last fall h people elected twelve
members to the Council, and twenty
four to the House, thus constituting
the Legislative Assembly-the law
making machine. The agents of the
people thus elected accepted the agen
cy with a full knowledge of their du-
~ to the people who elected them.
That duty clearly was to make good
laws. repeal bad ones, and to work
faithfully for the good of the people
as a whole, and not for n individ-
nal or for any clique. Sixty days
once in two years is a very short time
to do the work for which there is ur-
gent need. U1de W of his Off
cial position as the leader of the do
minent party Mr.. Bursum practically
tells the Legislature not to work for
the people, but to work for him, and
for the small gang of men who would
profit by his continued dominance,
and a majority of one ranch of it,
the House, (all men who call them
selves Republicans) have up to this
time obeyed.
nj who is Mr.. Bursum? Is he the
agent of the people in any direct or
Indirect way? Who authorized him
to boss the peoples representatives?
The position under which he assumes
to act was given him practically by
one man. The republican rank and
file had no opportunity to say wheth-
er they wanted him for a party leader
or not. The fact is if they had a
chance to vote on h question of his
leadership now. they would throw
him to the sharks by a vote of ten 20
one at least. Last falls election
showed conclustvely that they had
no use for him. Yet he has power to
so far control the peoples law max
ing machine as to make it almost inn
potent. The wishes of the people are
set at defiance. There never was a more
shameless u~surpation of the peoples
right to govern themselves through
their chosen representatives han
this boss and his adhere1ts are now
attempting. The Federal Govern
ment is giving $4,000 to pay thirty
six men to work sixty days for the
good of the people, when in fact a
few men are able to make a MAORI
ty of the House work to p~erpetuate
the very thing the Federal Govern
ment, and a vast majority of the peo-
pie in New Mexico, want destroyed,
viz: Corrupt boss rule. And destroy
ed it will be. by the Republican par
ty itself. But to do that, the party
must, in the expressive language of
Ben Wade-"first skin its own
skunks."
One very hopeful feature of the pre-
sent situation is that the "skunks,"