The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-06-12
WHAT THE ARTESIA
ADVOCATE THINKS OF II

ADVOCATE THINKS OF 1T.
The Record r~eproducfs herewith
portions of a long editorial of the Ar
tesla Advocate concerning the ROose-
velt-Hagerman correspondence. The
Advocate is one of the Ablest Demo
cratic papers published ia the Pecos
Valley, and on account of the attitude
of Roswell people generally on the
Artesia county question has not been
particularly friendly to Governor Hag-
erman. However, the paber has usu
ally discussed rel the bounty divis-
ion question much more fairly than
has the other paper printed at Arte-
STA. With its natural disposition to
fairness the Advocate studied Il let
tiers of Roosevelt and Hagerman on
their merits, apart from prejudice,
and some of its conclusions are as
follows:
Explaining the causes for the re-
moval of Governor Hagerman n the
reply of the Governor thereto are, at
present, the all-absorbing topic of ter
mar has the better of the controver-
sy. Reading his defense leads us to
believe thai he was guilty of neither
moral wrong nor legal error, though
a ~shrewder politician would ave
evaded delivering the deeds.
(The Advocate then gives a resume
of the Hagerman letter Which we omit
because the Record has already pub
lished it in full, then Hoes on-)
The very finest part $f Hagerman's
letter is the dig1ified and manly de-
Tense of his father. 1t seems that the
senior Hagerman prompted by a de-
sire to remove the stigma On his
sons reputation wired the President
requesting the latter TO investigate
the charges against Governor Hager-
man before accepting his resignation.
In this telegram it appears the old
gentleman ~stigmatized the charges
against his son as false and declared
them the work of ffreebooters." AS
to the first part of the. message las
that the Presidents version
of it is not garbled) Mr.. Hagerman
is in error; for the naked charge that
the governor did deliver certain deeds
is true and undeniable. But in any
event the Pesident saw, fit to address
the young man as follows:
Charges of a very grave charac-
ter were made to md against o
father himself in connection with
his land transactions in the past.
Whether they were true or not |
cannot say, because a preliminary
investigation showed that an action
on them would be barred by the
statute of Imitation
Readers of the Advocate will not
need to be reminded of the impropri-
ETY., injustice and intoierable vulgari-
ty of tlis utterance.
"Confessilg that he is personally
of the truth or falsity of the
charges that were made, or which he
at least says we're made, the Presi-
dent blazons them to the world in a
letter to the son concerning a matter
that does not at all concern the epu
tatioa of the older Hagerman. If the
old gentleman were a bandit, a mem
Der of the James gang-if he were a
member of the Quay-Penrose ma
chine of the state of Pennsylvania
as is the Presidents friend Bull
Andrews-it would still not affect the
issue as to the moral turpitude il
volved in the delivery of certain deeds
to the Pennsylvania Development Co.
and. by the way. wasn'tt this man
Bull Andrews one of the original org
of this self-same company?
The following is the really noble
reply of the ex-governor in regard to
this matter: GQuoting from the Hag-
letter at length, which we omit
because Record readers are already
with the reply.)
AT first blush it might seem that
Roosevelt denies the charge made
IN the resignation of Hagerman that
the President was moved by a desire
to placate the gang as we put it, by
offering a sacrifice at the altar of
the sacred Bull. Here is Mr.. Roose-
statement:
90 No one suggested to me tne
appointment of Captain Curry as
your successor. The idea was my
own, because I wished under the
extraordinary circumstances in New
Mexico to find some man whom |
personally knew, and whose upright
ness, strength of character and
knowledge of the people and the
circumstances | could have entire
confidence. Captain Curry was one
of the best men in my regiment
This looks straight enough, but is
it? Without intimating hat Mr..
INDUCES in the lie direct,
it is a notorious fact that he is a past
,a-fa of