Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-01-19
THE Al ByouERouE MORNING JOURNAL, TUESDAY. JANUARY 10, 1909.

quately and appropriately express III
language the thoughts and feelings
yelling up within them and demand
ing expression.
In accepting the position which YOU
have by your votes Just rendered me,
| am at a loss for words to appro-
priatoly express to you h thanks
which l feel.
To be chosen to preside owe the de-
liberations of the body Of men before
me, comprising the thirty-eighth leg
i~slatiye assembly OF the great terri
tory of New Mexico is honor enough
to come to any man,
10 be your presiding officer, chars-
ed with the conscientious duty OF do
ing exact justice to you. and eaeh OF
YOU, the chosen lawmakers of the poo
J pie, is responsibility indeed, which
cannot and will not be lightly con
sidcred.
The speaker of a deliberatlve body
such as this, as you well know, has
much to do With the shaping of the
policies to be pursued n in the
formulation of the measures TO be en-
acted, and the duty and trust thus m
posed upon ne, | fully realize IN al
their Importance II ~sacredness.
Filled with the feelings which the
consideration Of the duties and re-
sponsibilities OF this position which |
am about to assume, ! approach II
with hose anxious presontiments
which the greatness of the charge and
weakness Of my powers SO justly m
spires. Indeed would | have cause
to despair We're it not hat your pres
ence reminds me that in you | viii
find sources of wisdom. of virtue, II
of zeal, OF which to rely in all dill
ficultics,
10 you, gentlemen, who with my
SELF, are charged with the functions of
legislation, | look with encourage
mcnt for thai guidance and support
which may enable us to steer with
safety the important vessel in which
we are all embarked.
| here now consecratc myself, my
abilities, ana my energies in the posi-
tion to which YOU have called me;
primarily to the people of this terri
tory and then to YOU, the chosen serN-
ants of the people. TO tho thirty
eighth Legislative assembly of this
great territory, do the happy ana pros
porous people within her confines con
fidently look for intelligent and bene-
ficient legislation. They ask and
rightfully demand that at this time,
particularly. in our history standing
as We do upOn the threshold of her
entrance into the sistcrhood of states,
when the eyes of all the people OF
this great union are upon New Mexico
that the very best that there is in us
Will with generous ana lavish hand
be bestowed upon her people, 70 their
.upbuildinE. to their happiness and to
their prosperity.
ON this OCCASION. and here and now,
seems an opportune time for us all to
pause ana consider how the best re-
suits may be obtained from the
scheme OF our government wherein
every citizen forms q component part.
! have always felt, and | sincerely be-
licVc, that little that is great or good
or permanent can be accomplished
without the instrumentality Of party,
and | have believed from my soul,
since | arrived at manhood, in the
doctrines and principles Of the great
republican party, but | realize, and
we Of the majority should realize, that
the minority here are the chosen rep
rCScntatiVcs of the sovereign people,
and that our Partisan zeal should be
at All times tempered by "A proper
appreciation of our duties to all the
people, and to The cXtCnt possible,
partisanship should be merged In the
patriotism of the citizen and the con-
scientious lawmaker.
70 you, my fellow members of the
minority, ] pledge that in 50 Tar as.
il lies within my power, VIII your
rights and the duties which YOU owe
to your constituents, be s~afeguardcd
and protected.
Since the adjournment Of the leg
islature two years ago, our beloved
territory has made most marvellous
gains along many lines. From many
Of the states of the union have come
n great influx of population, and
energetic, ambitious ana progressive
citizenship who have cast their lot
in life with us, and are contributing
greatly to the manifold esourccs here
found and to the making and up
building of a great, prosperous and
powerful commonwealth. Too, moral
influences have been multiplied and
strengthened; legislation enacted by
the lawmakers two years ago has haG
beneficial effects: the virtue OF tenn
pcrancc is held in higher estimation.
on the whole, the opportunities Of
fcrcd to the individual to secure the
comforts Of life are better here than
are found elsewhere, and largely bet
ter than they were within my recol-
lection.
Let us by our efforts here, prove
worthy OF the trust placed in IS and
not be q disappointment to the people
who look to MS to place upon our
statute books laws that are equal in
Intelligence and a~frightncSs TO those
found i'm the statutes of the most
enlightened and progressive Of the
states of the union.
It Is our duty as servants of the poo
pie to see that expenditures should be.
made with economy and only upon
public necessity. AS q first considcra-
ton, an earnest, conscientious effort
should be made by this assembly to
give to the people as much relief AS is
possible from the burdens of taxation.
In this connection, intelligent invcsti-
cation should be made OF tho prevail
ing fee system. and wherever and