Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-03-24
WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED
IN CONSTRUCTIVE LEGISLATION

| IN CONSTRUCTIVE ItGlSlINlION
1t is interesting and decidedly pleas
ant to turn to the other side of tho
picture, that which shows what has
been accomplished in actual eonstruc.
tive legislation.
IN his annual message to the assem-
| bly, Governor Hagerman recommended
among other things, the following'
That strong anti-gambling law be
! passed which would prohibit gambling
| in this territory An anti-gamhline
! law has been enacted, which. it Is be-
i ieved, viii be strong enough to ac-
complish the end desired. President
Charles A. Spiess of the counci! in
troduced this law which bears his
name and it is worthy of note that Mr..
Spiess, although uuon the district at
torney bin he stood with the Bursum
forces declined throughout to be LED
by the nose as were the house ma
chine leaders. and declined to stand
for the extreme measures advocated
by the machine. And at the end, Mr..
SpesS was found working openly for
the passage of a sane supply measure
The governor recommended the re
vision of the laws. A commission, OF
which the attorney general Of the ter
llLOIN IL lllt ntdAls mas p''lt Ai'iiiiN VI -
legislative act. to revise the laws, AMI
an appropriation for the purpose has
been accomplished But one man who
stood solidly with the machine APP
pears on that commission
The governoa recommended the re
vision Of the school laws, and certain
advances i'm the educational system OF
the territory. The changes have been
made and the advances in part accom-
plshed.
The governor recommended that the
ancient system of handing out the
public printing of the territoy as polit-
ical patronage or graft, be abolished
and that The territory's work be let
to the lowest bidder on a business ba-
sis. The public printer, although the
office has not been officially abolished,
is gone for good, and the territory
work viii be let upon a business basis
to the lowest bidder.
The governor proposed certain
changes In the land laws and changes
in the irrigation laws. They have beeh
made
The governor objected to the eXpen~
diture Of an unreasonable amount for
extra employees, and the expenditure
for this purpose was limited to $l1,-
000
And thus all down the line, a review
shows the actual accomplishment OF
he legislation proposed by the gov
4rnor and the failure of the legislation /
proposed by the machine. In bat one /
If his larger recommendations did the /
governor fail of success, and that was
n the passage of new and reliable
.lection and registration law. to which |
he republican convention pledged the
)arty This legislation failed because
t was held up until the last four days
IF the session, when consideration or
[ by the council was practically inn
possible,
Another interesting feature Of the
session is the fact that although more
reto messages were returned to the
assembly than in any legislature in re-
.ent years. every one Of these vetoes
we're sustained, save the first, upon
he first appropriation for extra en-
,loyes, and this was passed over the
'eto only after every concession for q
public accounting. demanded by the
governor and his friends had been
with. It is an unusual rec
'rd.
It Is not to be supposed that the
Governor accomplished the utter de-
eat of the Bursum ring and accom-
,lished the legislation desired, without
ssistance. on the contrary he had
throughout the strongest assistance 10
,e desired. In the first place the peo-
lie of New Mexico were behind him
nd supporting him, fact known 10 .
very man familiar with the trend OF
ublic sentiment.
Moreover. early i'm the session. the
eally strong men in the republican
arty came to realize the utter ruin
o the PARTY and the grave danger TO
he territory of allowing the Bursum
ing TO run riot through the session. !
me after another, they came OUT
atty for the governor and the princl-
les for which he stands and against ,
he ring campaign Men like solomon
ANA. the national committeeman, and
he veteran Of the party lead :
rs. Hon. n. ID. Burns, and the others
f the strong men of the party real ,
ed the situation and did not hesitate
, take a positive position In the stIug-
le. These men threw all of their
reat strength directly against the =
ampaieu of the ring, and its defeat .
-as certain from the very start. MT. :
ura stood throughout the session as ,
restraining force. his far-reach- ,
~ influence being thrown always
at1v AGAINST anything but sane legis- ,
ltion and against an of the proposed ,
,gislation which he and the men VINO ,
.ood with him plainly saw must IN ,
ne end result I'm ruin for the party J
In. Duncan. Mr.. Miera, Mr.. Sulzer. I
n. Sargent. Nr Chavez. Mr.. stock J
IN and Mr. Murray saw from the
art the inevitable result of success J.
81 the ring. and standing fatty on r
le ground of the best interests Of the I
.rritory. blocked legislation which
ould have sent the republican party
raight 10 the destruction toward
.hich it was being fastened by the
IIreflu1 uDauaHFrUpUf.
with the people at his back and
ith influences such as these support =,
x him. the success Of the reforms ,
roposcd by the governor was assured. e.
M the completeness OF the victory ,
lrms the notable achievement uf /,
be session. which stands out above
q the others.
That the Bursum ring should be- de-
.ated and crushed was inevitable.
me very nature uf ITS construction.
nd the methods ID employed, would n
aye led ~. that result But its di.u- q
grafton came sooner than had been q
ypectcd and was more far-reachine 4
nd more complete than could have 81