Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1909-09-21
IN
NEW MEXICO
Splendid Address
by Hon. w. A.
Fleming Jones
TRIBUTE TO NATIVE PEOPLE
Eloquent Plea for Statehood
Before First National
Congress

Hon. W. A. Fleming Jones of Las
Cruces, a member and secretary of
the New Mexico Conservation Com
mission, who represented Governor
Curry at the First National Conserv-
alton Congress in the Auditorium
building of the Alaska Yukon Pacific
Exposition at Seattle, Washington, de-
Iivered the following address:
Mr.. Chairman-Delegate to the
First National Conservation Congress,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
When l left my home in New Mex
leo, more than three weeks ago, for
the purpose of attending the Nation
al Congress at Spokane, had no idea
of being called upon to address, even
briefly this distinguished body, or
might, with data before me, have been
able to prepare something of good
Geal more interest to say.
The natural resources of the Terri
tory of New Mexico, largely undevel-
oped, it is true, are so vast in their
extent, that the question of their con-
servation is one of the utmost import
ance to us, not only for ourselves, but
for the generations to come who will
probably share in them to a far great
er extent than we of today.
There is probably no section of the
| United States-Mr. Chairman-that is
| less known, in the east-and in other
| sections of the country, than the
| Territory of New Mexico, and certain
| ly none that is more frequently mis-
| represented. AS an instance on my
! return from recent trip to the east
| made the acquaintance, on the train
of physician, a very intelligent gen
| tleman, actively engaged in the prac,
| tice of his profession in New York
| City who was travelling with his fam
| lily to California. Shortly after leav-
| ing Trinidad, Colorado, and as we APP
preached the Ration tunnel | heard
| him sagely inform his family, that
| they would shortly be, for the first
! time in their lives, outside of the Uni
| ted States! He went on to advise them
that Santa Fe was the capital of the
Republic of Mexico! That it was the
home of President Diaz, the seat of
| government in the Republic of Mex,
| leo and sundry and various other
| statements of an equal startling ma
ture. 1t was with some difficulty that
| I convinced him of this-lack of in
formation-to put it mildly, but when
| ignorance such as this is met with
in citizens of the type of this physi
clan, what can be expected of the
general public.
Tribute to Native Citizenship.
A feature of New Mexico that is
much misunderstood and misrepre
| sented is the character of our native
population. We have practically none
of the peon class and a very large
number of our native citizens owl
their own farms and ranches that have
been in the same family for genera
tions. They are scrupulously honest
and courteous, peaceful and law
abiding people and much better fitte;
to enjoy full citizenship than man.
of the imported denizens of th'
slums of our great cities. 1t is tru
that the native population does no
at this time predominant in our Ter
ritory, but it would be far from
| nc o1ar Nv Ae
present, Mr.. Chairman-and | know
some of them have-may have ha
the pleasure of meeting such repre-
sentative New Mexican as Hon. M
guel A. Otero, for two full terms Coy
ernor of the Territory of New Mex
CO. or the Hon. Solomon Luna TO
twelve years our Republican nationa
committeeman, and the president Q
the New Mexico Conservation Con
mission, and / should like to know
whether or not-Mr Chairman-me
like these-and they are both repre-
sentative native born citizens of Ne'
Mexico are capable of self govern
/ ment-and | propose to ask this col
gress before it adjourns, to spread vi
on it's minutes resolution, demand
ing of the Congress of the Unite
States the enactment of a measur
that shall enable the only two remain
ing territories to adopt each it's ow
constitution, and become sovereig
states of the Union. New Mexic
has the people; we have today a POI
/ ulation of upwards of 100000 soul
! and We have the resources to supper
our own state government. We hav
a fourishing territorial university,
college of Agriculture and Mechani
Arts; a School of Mines second t
, none in the United States; Militar
Institute; two Normal Universitie'