Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-07-13
THE GOAL OIL
|NSPECTORSH|P
No Pressure on Act
ing Gov. Reynolds
For Change
THE NOTORIOUS STORY
How 1t Was Worked Under
Hagerman Alleged Re-
form Administration.

Under the date of July 8 Boss Mac
pherson's Albuquerque Morning Coy.
ote Journal published a special dis.
patch from this city of which the open
ing paragraph reads:
ut is now currently reported here
that strong pressure is being brought
to bear on Acting Governor Reynolds
to cause him to remove Hon. James
s. Duncan of Las Vegas from the Office
of coal oil inspector and reappoint to
that place Eugenio Romero Of Las
Vegas who held the job with much
profit and little inspection up to the
time that Governor Hagerman came
into Office and caused the law to be
enforced"
The above statements are either
downright fakes or malicious fabrica-
tions sent by the lying correspondent
of the Coyote Journal and published
for the purpose of misleading and to
lay the foundation for more slanders
and lies. The remainder of the dis
patch is in the same line The New
Mexican, however, will take up just
one paragraph and review the situa-
ton as 1t really was and is.
In the first place no pressure has
been brought on Acting Governor
Reynolds to remove Duncan as coal
oil inspector although the latter
should have been removed long ago
In the second place Eugenio Romero
was not in this city for the purpose
of pushing for the place. He attended
to official business as treasurer of San
Miguel County. In the third place the
following quotation is absolutely TN
true and so known to be to the cores
pondent Loomis and to Boss Macpher-
son:
And to reappont to that place Eu-
genio Romero of Las Vegas who held
the job with much profit and little
inspection up to the time that Govern
or Hagerman came into Office and
caused the law to be enforced"
A Little Inside History.
Ex-Governor Hagerman came into
office January %, 1906; Eugenio Ro-
nero was coal oil inspector End held
the position until March 20, 1907, four
teen months after Hagerman became
Governor. Hagerman never sought
tho nnfnronn,ont of ha 10 hn
date he assumed office until he left
it for the good of the commonwealth
and to the JOY and qualification OF
the best citizenship of New Mexico.
Here is the story that the people may
read:
After Hagerman became governor
OF New Mexico charges were made to
him that the provisions of the coal
oil inspection law were not carried
out and enforced by the then inspec
tor. The secret service machinery OF
the Hagerman administration was set
to work and the great refOrmer be-
came convinced that such was the
case, Here was fine chance for pos
ing as a reform executive, a la Folk
and a la La Toilette, and he proposed
to take it. The law is specific in such
cases and reads:
(Section Z, Chapter 66, Session
laws 1905. "The failure Oh the part
Of any oil inspector to perform his
duties as required, shall be considered
malfeasance in office, for which he
may be removed from office by the
governor.
In poste haste and during the ides
Of March 1906 the coal oil inspector
was called on the carpet in the execu
tive office. A representative of the
Continental OIL Company was sum
moned and legal counsel was re
tanned, an Albuquerque attorney whit
held that under the provisions Of Tx
organic act the governor was charge,
to see to the proper execution of tn,
laws Of New Mexico and therefore hat
the autocratic powers Of doing as h,
pleased something like Abdul Hame,
ruler Of Turkey. However there was II,
removal of the alleged offending Goa
oil inspector, the autocratic power O
the governor of New Mexico was no
exercised but the Territory was divid
ed into coal oil inspection districts an,
the first appointee was Harold Hur,
an intimate personal and politica
friend OF the reform governor an,
thereafter other personal and intimat
friends to the number Of probabl.
half dozen were appointed as dis
trict deputy coal oil inspectors. Som
Of these appointees are pretty goo'
fellows and cannot be blamed for ae
cepting the soft Job handed them Il
order to become active members Q
the Hagerman reform machine and t
help put that machine into power wit
Y the ex-governor as dictator and as
ruling boss. AS farNAs a thorough Ii