Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-02-18
ROTH orr WRONG.

Commenting on the remark Of the
Daily Record HAT what New Mexico
needs 10 not more counties, but more,
people. the Las Vegas Optic says,
yes and fewer, foolish legislators. =
Roswell Record.
with an due respect for the
opinions OF our Roswell ana Las We
gas contemporaries, we cnn assure
them that they are both orr wrong In
the opinions they express In the fore
going brief paragraph. We need
more counties ia order 10 bring us
more people. Mon who hive lived In
they enjoyed tho privilege Of self
government are likely TO object very
seriously TO settling IN a section where
II requires ncnrly aE great a journey
10 reach tho. county scat as TO go TO
the capital Of the nation, and hence
the enormous sizes OF somc OF u
counties very seriously rctards settle
mcnt. because mon Of intelligence do
not want to settle IN a county where
Tho seat OF government viii he so far
away from them that they know II
would be useless for them TO expect
such attention TO their local inter-
csts as they have been accustomed 10
~ their old homes ana because they
know further. hat IN counties as
large ~ most of uurs ono ~ two
evils viii be inevitable, either they
viii have ontraRcously high taxes, oi
very Door governments since expert
nice Inns demonstrated beyond amy
question that II costs n great deal
more. prnpnrtinnptely. to govern a
very large cunty thanf OF proper
alxo. In fact. II costs 80 much TO
properly enforce The law throughout
an ovcrgrown county tia the ncople
who live IN the outskirts really have
10 local government at all, though
tlloy have to pnN aR great a share OF
The taxes as lhoso who live near the
county seat, which IL practically
taxation without representation
the ground upon which our Ameri-
can forcfathrts won't to war with
Great Britain, In al the middle
western states, the federal govern
ment. Ia surveying the land. laid II
Off IL sections. townships and conn-
tics. The counties were all twenty
four miles square, which was con-
sidored by congress amply largo--and
there should not be a county IN New
Mexico larger than that. II wc want
to safeguard the interests OF all the
people.
Ana the optics remark about
fewer foolish legislators IL an un
warranted %insinuation derogatory 10
tho Intelligence Of our present lcgis-
iatufe. u is i reflection that IS nm
fair. unjust. aud not sustained by the
facts nH SIS work up 70 this time the
present Legislature OF Kew Mexico
has shown itself 20 be in every respect
and IA both houses fully the peer Of
fhc average legislature of the states
Take california. for Instance, which
las hhcn Il state la the union for
fiftg years. and IS properly regarded
as one of the great states. and then
look az tho assinine exhibition which
8 number or thc members OF that
body have made ~ themselves during
the last two veehs' That instance,
la itself. ought 10 he sufficient TO
SHOW the Injustice os wen as The folly
Of such reflections upon tho character
~ ouf own legislature MS that cast by
the optic ln the line quoted above.
Eyors legislative body Is nkoly to
have any sor, ~ Wild schemes
brought before il. but such a body is
Go be Judged by the things IL does,
aud not hy the things which intcr,s-
,ed parties may try 10 have II DO And
judged by this rule. which is b onb
fair rule. our present Legislature has
dome as VIC have said above. up TO
ehis time. gast as we'll as tho average
anywhere Coz the United states, and Is
TO- he commended for The earnest dis
position Is has shown TO got at the.
"irue iuvardness" Of everything that
has como before a.