Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1910-12-31
STATEHOOD AND
LOWER TAXES
Hon. T. B. Catron Dri We s
Home a Self. Evident
Truth
WAS MIsQuOTED BY TRIBUNE
He Does Not Advocate Imme-
diate Sale of School
Lands.

Hon Thomas B. Catron is hom,
from albuquerque, where at the state
hood meeting on Thursday evening
he delivered telling and eloquent
address in defense of the constitu
ton. He was frequently interrupted
by applause. The Albuquerque
Tribune Citizen in its account OF
the meeting not only distorts but also
misquotes Mr.. Catron in saying tha
he advocated the immediate sale OF
the school lands at $4.00 an acre
Mr.. Catron said that eff" the lands
were sold at the minimum average
price Of $4 an acre fixed by the En-.
abling Act, they would yield $36,
100000, which at five per cent of in
| terest would yield an annual income
| of $1,S00,000 or more than ten times
the average territorial school
levy of three mills on the
dollar for school purposes. This
would therefore not only make unne-
cessary such a levy of three mills
but leave large surplus besides,
which, while it could not de diverted
from school purposes, would yet, be
timated cost of $4,000 extra that
statehood will mean to New Mexico
Mr.. catron Interviewed.
A reporter of the New Mexican
called the attention of T. B. Catron
to the Albuquerque Tribune Citizens
report of his speech at the Elks
Opera House on Wednesday evening
last, in which it was said in sub
stance, that Mr.. Catron claimed the
school lands should be disposed of at
four dollars an acre in spite of the
ten dollars an acre minimum limit
fixed by the constitution. Mr.. Catron
says he did not make any such state
as he figured it. the extra expense
of running the state government over
that of the Territorial government.
would be about sixty-three thousand
dollars per annum, after making al
lowances for all savings, and that
that would be more than saved by
the omission to impose a school tax
which would not be necessary after
we disposed of our school lands; that
there were nine millions of acres of
school lands granted to the state,
which If sold at an average of four
dollars per acre, the lowest price fix
ed by the United States at which
they could be sold, that would give
us thirty-six millions of dollars of
permanent school finds, which at an
interest not exceeding five per cent
Or less than four, would yield us in
the neighborhood of one million six
hundred and siXty-siX thousand per
year income, which would be suffi-
cient of itself to support all the
ty-five or thirty years without levy
ing a single dollar by taxes for tier
support; but that he did not say that
The land should be sold at four dol
lars per acre, but only stated that if
it should be sold at that price, which
is the lowest price for which the
government of the United States per-
mitted it to be sold, it would produce
that amount and yield that income
ari avoid the necessity of taxes for
schools. He says, that he was well
aware that the constitution had fix
ed the minimum price at ten dollars
per acre, and did not intend nor did
lie say that the land should actually
be sold for four dollars per acre. He
said that he stated that the expense
.cf the state government would be
less burdensome by reason thereof
to the people, because when those
lands were sold they would avoid the
necessity of making levy of three
mills per year for school purposes; he
said three mills per year produced
about one hundred and sixty-six thou
sano dollars per year or one-tenth of
the interest on the thirty-six million
of dollars, that that one hundred and
Sixty-six thousand so saved would
ray off the sixty-three thousand dol
lars Of extra expense of the state gov
ernment over the Territorial govern
ment and leave a surplus of one
hundred and three thousand dollars
per. annum.
Mr. Catron and Governor Mills fig
ure the expenses, except as to the
Governor Secretary. Judges and
Legislatures, at substantially the
same as they are under the Terri
tory, but that the Territory is now
paying four thousand dollars year
extra to the Governor as executive
expenses and salary as a member
of the Land Commission Board; that
the salary of the Secretary is fixed
at the same he now receives from
the government, but that he recei-
yes, in addition, fees amounting to
possibly ten or twelve thousand dol
lars; that the Governors salary is
five thousand dollars, which is only
one thousand more than he receives
from the Territory now; that the sa-
larry of the Secretary is three thou
sand dollars, under the constitution,
but that he receives about twelve
thousand dollars in fees, all of which