Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1909-10-16
5000 PEOPLE HEAR HIM
CONSTITUTION OF NEW COMMON
WEALTH MUST BE SANE
AND CONSERVATIVE
REBUKEs JUDGE FALL
PRESIDENT RESENTS iNSINUA.
TIoN OF !NSINcERITY OF
PARTY PLEDGE

Albuquerque, N M, Oct. 16.-The
president of the United States came
to Albuquerque last evening; stayed
for a few hours; spread among the
people the radiance of the Taft
smile; gave freely of the warmth OF
the Taft handshake, and when he de-
parted for El Paso, he left something
that the people of New Mexico have
never had before-the assurance that
they have in the chief executive OF
the nation an enthusiastic advocate
of the immediate admission of this
territory to the union of states; that
William H. Taft is in favor of state
hood not only because 1t is one of
the pledges of the national republic
an platform, but that he is for state
hood as a plain citizen; because he
believes New Mexico is entitled to 1t
by reason of her resources and her
citizenship. And with this assurance
of his faith in New Mexico and his
belief in the Justice of the territory's
claim to statehood which he drove
home to the hearts OF between five
and six thousand people who heard
him speak late yesterday afternoon,
goes the added and comforting as
surance that President Taft proposes
to use all Of the power of his great
office to insure action by the next
congress on an enabling act which
will admit New Mexico and Arizona to
statehood and wipe the last of the
territories from the map of the union.
In the closing minutes of the ban
quet given in his honor last night,
President Taft took occasion to sharp
ly rebuke number of speakers, not
ably Judge A. B. Fall, who in spite
of the promise of support for state
hood given by the president, seemed
to doubt that the republican platform
promises would be made good. Fall
woke of the right of New Mexico to
kehood. The president said: 1T is
bit when it is accorded you, but
va right till it is accorded you. "
president said he had maintained
reputation for uruthfulness and
could do no more than promise to do
his best to secure statehood for New
Mexico.
In his speech yesterday afternoon
the president said:
The PreSldenrS speech
Il am very glad to see you. am
glad to be here to say what am 60
ing to say about that thing which is
uppermost in your mind You seem
to be able to guess what it is. Every
baby in this territory seems to be
trained to speak the word statehood.
Now, inasfar as lies in me as the chief
executive recommending legislation to
congress and exercising a legitimate
Influence in that regard-the consti-
tutional functions being to recon-
mend and to veto-I first will say
that l will not veto bill letting
New Mexico in. And second, that
shall recommend that the promise of
the republican platform upon which |
had the honor to be elected presi-
dent should be carried out in good
faith, and that the territories of Ari-
zona and New Mexico shall be admit
ted to the Union, so that we shall
have nothing but states between
the Atlantic and the Pacific. They
have an objection to you because
some of you speak Spanish. Well, ]
know something about the Spanish
language, and they could not speak
more beautiful language than that.
/ know something about the Spanish
descended people and know how
courteous, how chiyalrous, and what
high ideas they have of hospitality
and kindness, generosity and courtesy,
and / am glad to come here in con-
tact with that element and certainly
am not going to use any influence
to keep them out If they are citizens
OF the United States and entitled to
be considered like other citizens that
we have taken in, loyal to the flag
and able to serve their country when
it is necessary. / am glad to have
the privilege of speaking here to vet
Grams of the Civil War that helped to
save this country, and ! thank them
for coming out to express what sup
pose is their loyalty to the Comman
der in Chief of the Army and Navy
In which they served SO well. am
sorry that am not able to say that