Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-03-23

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veiled illusions to unnamed persons
contained In the article. they deserve
no attention.
| | am. OF course, very grateful to
Judge Fall for his endorsement as TO
the honesty of my intentions As to
my ignorance of political affairs and
lack Of state esmanship. | must plead
| guilty to the latter charge. at least,
if one is to accept Judge Fails ideals
OF successful statcsmanship.
| The ostcnsibe object of Judge
| Falls letter ls TO present the Issue"
clearly before your readers, which is
sue, he states. has been obscured by
| "the factional political fights In New
| Mexico" That the issue has been OBJ
| scured Is true but that Judge Fall
clarifies ii to any considerable extent
by his presentation of the case is at
least open to argument
As to his summary of the main
| facts connected with the land and
timber sales to the Alamogordo, the
American and other companies prior
to my administration little exception
| can be taken. but uhen ho directly
blames the activities of the govern
ment agents and by implication
blames me for the unhappy condition
| OF affairs in New Mexico, he him
self further obscures the issue. and
| Intentionally or unintentionally mis-
| leads the public as to the real situa-
| tion at the time of my resignation.
Mr.. Fan accuses me of acting in a
| way that would have disrupted my
own party In the territory. am
grateful to him for admitting that
have party Without indiscretlon
| ask you, Mr.. Editor. after your long
acquaintance with Judge Fan. what
| Is Judge Falls party2
| Mr. Fall. while stating that there
never was any fraud connected with
the disposition of the lands and the
| timber. and acuuitting mo of any
moral wrong In accepting payment
| of the Pennsylvania Development Co
note, stlll seeks to perpetuate the fic-
| ton that ! delivered" the deeds to
Mr.. Hopewell although" as he
states, the commissioner whose hu-
siness il was to deliver such deeds
distinctly refused to do so"
Judge Fan must know. as every
one knows who has followed the mat
| ter that these deeds were executed
and delivered before | became gov
ernor and that the whole Pennsyl-
vania DeN1oDmc NJ 90. transaction
was consummated by my predecessor
| He must know that for years MI
kecn--whose probity was so gener-
ously exploited by my enemies---had
| accepted payment of principal and
| interest from the Pennsylvania De-
velopment Co, and that when Mr.
| ftopeWCll Cfcrcd 70 pay the last note.
| II was my duty to accept such pay
ment and surrender the deeds which
were held merely as security, pend
| ing the payment of that note All
| this is now ancient history, and for
| Mr.. Fall to attempt to convey the
| impression. by Implication or other
wise that / committed any admins
trative or political error In surrend-
erlng these deeds or In accepting pay
ment Of that note, only goes to prove
| that. despite his repeated statements
that no wrong was done the terri
tory In cffectfng the sales of land and
timber to all those purchasers, he
still seeks to protect the men who
used my action for the purpose of
bringing about my removal from Of
flee. He knows that the results have
shown that those men, in adopting
this course, committed one of the
most startling political blunders which
any so-called practical politicians
or would-bc statesmen have ever
been guilty of in New Mexico. I
acquit Judge Fall of being a princi-
pal In the original conspiracy, but I
condemn him for attempting at this
late date to revive fiction, the film
siness of which has long since been
proven.
He further states that freely
joins In the criticism of the former
administration which was being made
by special agents" The few federal
agents who came to this territory
while was IN office made their in
vestigatlons and reached their con-
clusions Independently. Under or
ders from my superiors In Washing
tion gave them every facility for
making the inquiries they we're or
dered TO make. believing then, as do
now. that to continue a policy OF sup
preston and concealment In regard
to land or any other matters In the
territory would only result in an in
definite postponement Of that adjust
ment OF our affairs which is essential
before We shall be considered fit for
or. IN my opinion, obtain statehood.
did not critlcise my predecessor 4
did deplore that in selecting the lands
granted by the Ferguson Act so much
inferior land was chosen, and the In
stitutions 50 greatly Ia need of capi-
tai were thereby deprived of large
patrmony.
The statement that a certain spec
ial agent" proposed to furnish am
munition for the war which Mr.. Hag-
erman was then waging upon ii. O.
Bursum" and that upon informa-
ton furnished by this special agent.
not as to the United states accounts.
nor even as 10 the land funds be-
longing to the territory, Mr. Hager-
man declared MT Bursum default
er," can have been made by Mr.. Fall
only In an attempt TO prove his theory
that the whole course OF the govern
ment's investigation of our affairs
was controlled by men who had no
intention whatever of honestly per-
forming their duties. but were sim
ply out to make spectacular reputa-
tions for themselves II incidentally
NAV have been made 70 magnify Mr.
Bursums pose as a victim or perse-
cution. The statement Is not in ac-
cord with the facts. | was not aware
before that I had declared Mr.. Bur
sum a defaulter The investigation of
the penitcutiary accounts. which re-
suited in "A report subsequently pub
llshed was made by me quite inde-
pendently OF the federal authorities,
and would have been made IL no spec
ial agents had ever come TO the ter
rltory. Combined with the repayment
to the territory of considerable sum
srF1ar Gfff