Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1907-03-02
Votes Against Bill Allowing
Territorial Officials to
bring Suit
THAT THEIR ACCOUNTS
Be AUDITED BY CORRT
Committees at Work While LegiS.
ldture Is Out of Session
at Weeks End.

santa Fe N. M. March Owing
to n caucus of the republican MEM
bers yesterday, the house did not
meet until o'clock
New Bills Introduced.
House bill No. $50, by Mr.. Holt
an act relative to the organization OF
corporations for mining purposes.
Referred to the committee on judici-
ary.
House bill No. ISL, by Mr Holt
an act relative to the use of the pub
lie domain for mining purposes Re-
ferred to the committee on judiciary.
House bill No. 152, by Mr.. Holt
an act relating to the sale of COM
merclal foodstuffs. Referred to the
committee on judiciary.
House bill No. 153, by Mr.. Mullens
an act relating to gaming. Re-
ferred to the committee on judiciary.
House bill No. 154, by Mr.. Beach
an act relative to serving of process
and repeating chapter 121, session
laws of 1905. Referred to the COM
mittee on Judiciary
House bill No. 155, by Mr.. Holt
an act fixing the time for holding the
district court in Otero and other
counties. This bill passed the house,
Mr.. Holt explaining that it was intro
which had previously passed both the
house and council, having the same
object in view.
House bill No. 156, by Mr.. Studley
an act defining terms of the dis
trict court" and for other purposes.
Referred to the committee on judici-
ary.
House bill No. 157, by Mr.. Trujillo
an act relative to community
bitches Referred to judiciary COM
mittee.
House bill No. 15S, by Mr.. Herrera
an act declaring in force chapter
IL of the laws of 1897, relative to
land grants. Referred to the COM
mittee on territorial affairs.
Disputed Official Accounts.
The report of the committee on
amended council bill No. 65, an act
for the settlement of disputed ac-
counts Of public officials, was adopted
by the house, on motion of Mr.. Holt.
Several minor amendments were
adopted. The bill was then read in
full preparatory to its passage.
On motion of Holt that the bill
pass the house, Mr.. Hudspeth took
the floor in opposition to the bill. He
spoke at some length, declaring the
bill was special legislation and hint
ing that it was for the benefit of one
particular territorial official and an
Holt challenged him to name the man
to whom he referred and to point out
any provision in any section of the
bill which might be termed special
legislation. This Mr.. Hudspeth did
not DO.
Mr.. HoIl then took the floor, in one
of the ablest speeches of the present
assembly 81 regret exceedingly that
the gentleman from Lincoln did not
see fit to name the public official to
whom ne referred or to point out one
single provision of this bill which
gives to public officials any privilege
that citizen in or out of public life
should not have. In the very first
section OF this measure, gentlemen,
your attention is called to the words,
amy official or any person may invoke
the provisions of this law l ask If
that ~ special legislation?
This law is designed, To use a
slang phrase, simply to give an even
break TO all persons and contrary TO
the statement of the gentleman from
Lincoln, embezzlement of public
funds does not enter into it at all,
Cannot the accounts of any public Of
fetal be disputed without some per-
son having embeZzled the funds?
want to state that the present laws on
our statute books give the county or
the territory all the best of it, An
official or person whose accounts are
in dispute is hog-tied. Such per-
son cannot move hand or foot to
strafghten out such accounts. He
must wait until such time as those
officers who represent the govern
ment bring suit to audit these ac-
counts, if they ever do, and in the
meantime he must be subjected and
submit to the basest slurs upon his
honesty and integrity at the hands OF
hi fs Rf..= raA la ,f fhn faT
ritory. The law does not give hin
the right to bring suit to have these
accounts audited so that he may
clear his mind before the public. He
has no recourse. | call your atten-
ton, gentlemen, to the fact that the
congress Of the United States ha!
created the United States court OF
claims for the express purpose OF
righting this wrong. The humbles
citizen Of this great country may &c
before that court and there brinl
suit against the government Are the
people Of New Mexico not entitled to
as much2"
Mr.. Ruppe was the next to speak
He said that the people of BernalillC
county had trouble enough of their
own without mixing into the trouble;
Of one official. He opposed the bill
he said, for two reasons one, that II
was only to be in effect Cor one year
and the other that he thought 1t gave
to officials privileges which the indi'
yldual citizen did not receive.
Mr. Beach stated the only objection
he had to the bill was the one-yeaI
limit-an amendment which Wa.
placed in the bill I'm the counci. He
said the proposed legislation was
good and should go on the statute
books without Limitation.
Mr. Hollis motion to pass the bill
was then put, the house passing the
measure by a vote of l6 ayes to
nays Mr.. Denniston and Mr. Lucerc
absent with leave. Those voting nay
were Abbott OF Col1aX; Huuspetn
Moran, Mullens, Ruppe and Walters
The next bill taken up was HOUSE
bill No Ga, an act relating to the in
toXication of minors, which haC
pass "a the house on Thursday. The
L.ill .arno nm IN r,anLlnn ~ ALhnII nI