Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1907-08-06
Citizens Editorial on InveSti-
cations Endorsed by
Impartial Reader
in Letter.
UNPROVEN CHARGES ARE
HAUMING new MEXICO
Citizen Thinks That DiSgrdCeful
Attempt to Ruin Republican
Party by Attacking Lead
erS Should be
Stopped.

The editorial in The Citizen last
evening, in which the harm being
done to New Mexico and to this city
by the publication of unfounded ru-
mors of graft and fraud by certain
papers in an effort to disrupt the re-
publican party was shown up, un-
doubtedly fitted the views of several
Albuquerque people.
The Citizen today received several
communications bearing upon this
matter and the one published here
with shows that the writer undoubt-
edly gave the matter serious thought.
The letter may not perhaps be as
mplimentary to The Citizen as The
Citizen would like but in the main it
deals with one important matter to
which all else is subsidiary-the good
of New Mexico.
The Citizen therefor publishes this
letter in full for the consideration of
its readers and ii does so without
comment, bias or prejudice in the
matter one way or the other. The
Citizen believes that continued harm
and no good can come from a con-
tinuous attempt to black guard every
public official who dares to express
his views in opposition to the views
of the so-called reformers and The
Citizen said just what it believed,
last evening. when 1t expressed the
hope that the investigation now un-
der way would be made so thorough
that 1t would either convict or ac-
quit every man against whom news
paper charges have been made and
thus put an. end to this cry of fraud
and graft.
The letter received by The Citizen
is as follows:
Commends the Citizen.
To the Editor: AS a public spirit
ed citizen l wish to commend your
editorial in Monday evenings Citizen
in which you condemn the practice
of wholesale attacks on New Mexico S
public men in the newspapers. l re-
fer particularly to the Albuquerque
Morning Journal. l have been d
reader of both Albuquerque papers
for four or five years, and when the
Journal opened up its crusade for a
change in Bernalillo county's govern
ment 1 was in hearty accord and
hailed the paper as a sincere advo-
cate of civic probity. When 1t went
into territorial affairs and backed the
Hagerman administration / was still
inclined to think favorably of its pol-
icy, believing that Hagerman deserv-
ed support.
Disappointment to Its Friends.
1t has seemed to me, however, that
the moment the Journal found that
Hageman's faction would have a
any recognition, that the management
of the paper lost his head like an
excited school boy and that he has
never obtained his equilibrium since.
Throughout the last legislative as
sembly the Journal was a disappoint-
ment to its friends and a disgrace 10
the territory, and since that time Ii
has become more and more rabid in
its utterances until "biased" and "pre-
JUDGED" are weak words to describe
its political attitude. 1t can no more
be fair to any man who is a mem
ber of the opposing faction than il
can keep from belittling Max Frost.
Every reader of the Journal knows
exactly what to expect in every
mornings correspondence from Santa
Fe. If those special dispatches are
telegraphed / imagine the operators
have long ago adopted a code for
gang" and "plunderbund."
Has Not Made Good.
Like Hearst, the Journal has taken
advantage of the fact that it Is easy
TO secure the public ear with cry OF
graft" 1t is easy to excite sympa-
thy from the people II you can make max,
II appear that you are espousing their
cause against injustice. l was one
who believed so at the start. But in
the light of later developments | can
not convince myself that the Journal
has made good. The moment 1t Sc
tuI GU Sullltltll llllutltt II sent It's
publisher and city editor TO Santa Fe
and brought back the secretaryship
of the bureau of immigration.
didn't like that in the face of what
had been said In the Journal about
this very territorial graft" 1t re-
minded me too much of the preacher
who closed his prayer one morning
after a partially successful appeal TO
his congregation for church funds
with the words, Thank God, the
fund for the payment of the minis
ter's salary is safe, anyhow"
Nothing But liumors.
I rather enjoy a newspaper fight
if it is conducted on a fair basis but
can the Journal call its methods fair ?
Only recently when the resignation
of A. NJ. Bergere, district clerk at
Santa Fe, was requested by Judge
McFie the Journal spread this news
broadcast in flaring headlines, and
followed il up for several days with
reports" 'rumors," etc, discredit-
able to Mr.. Bergere. The truth is
that no one outside Of the govern
ment agents know why Mr., Bergere's 5
resignation was asked, and the Jour
nal has so acknowledged since. Was
this inferred calumny fair? such a
thing might happen to any official
and It afterward developed that he
was innocent Of anything other than
a technical charge. Whether or not
this be true Of Mr.. Bergere i hold il