Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-12-26

recall. the referendum, the election OF
United States senators by popular vote
All these, / believe, constitute what Is
Familiarity called the oregon plan.
And these. or most of them, nave been
adopted by several other states, and
waited, and are still waiting, constant
Is expecting to hear of these states
having been transformed into Edens.
Our steady patience Is daily. and
most rudely, rewarded with the news,
that in those states. people continue
to work for their living. and II a the
prices of some of the neeessaries of
life are even higher than before. What
a monstrous disappointment. Who
would have believed it. Reports con-
time to come over tho wires, telling
us about crimes being committed in
these states.
Again objection is made against
the constitution. because the term of
the judges Of the supreme court Is
limited 10 eight years, and their SAL
airy al the paltry sum of $4,000 per
annum From whence does this pin
headed objection come? This attempt
to dwarf and belittle a branch Of our
government. charged with the safe
guarding Of our laws and liberties. l
would have liked the constitution bet-
I iCls Ildu lft JuNHtN NOtEl iliAitC0 ~
twelve years, and given a salary OF
IS. 900 per annum, and 81, 800 each for
the employment of stenographers. The
best lawyers in our territory. with
much less labor, will probably earn
! twice as much as the salary of a
judge of the supreme court. Such
men are not overly anxious to serve as
judges. The state ought to be en-
titled to the best, and ought to be
willing to pay literally for all. The
| most cherished rights and interests of
any citizen Of the state. are liable to
be reviewed by our highest court.
Suppose we reject the present con-
stitutlon, and reassemble the
ton for another trial; can we rea-
sonahly expect it would succeed in
making a better one? No doubt there
would be some changes, and they
might be of such small value as not
to compensate the people for the ex-
ira expense of the reassembling of
the convention, and the holding of a
second election. If anyone believes
that by defeating the present consti-i
tuition, the majority will accede to
the wishes Of the small minority on
the second assembling, permit the
second instrument to be loaded with
'Haskellism," 'the Oregon plan" and
any other uncertain and dangerous
isms tina may be Matched out during
the next few weeks, he will find him
self seriously mistaken. 1t is useless
TO put that sort of dependence in a
second assembling Of the convention.
Let us get into the union, and be-
gin to n our own affairs. Let
us begin to send representatives to
congress whose mission Will be some
thing far greater thar that of beg
CARS. Let Us at once get rid of the
hateful name territory" Sixty-four
years as a dependency, as a province,
as a political backyard, ought to be
sufficient. During all that time many
business ventures have been uncar-
tain. AS long as we remain a terri
tory many capitalists. seeking invest
ments, will avoid us, and invest
where conditions are more favorable.
Twenty-one years ago. by author
ity of an act Of the legislature, q con-
%stitutional convention sat in Santa
Fe. Bernalillo county then included
all Of Mckinley and Sandoval counties,
and was represented by ten members,
four of whom have departed this life.
/ have before me a copy OF the con-
stitution, and also the address to the
people in behalf of its adoption at the
polls. AS our situation now is close
ly identified with that of twenty years
ago, I will reproduce a few of the
paragraphs included in the address.
After recting the terms of the treaty
whereby New Mexico became a part
of the United States. and the prom
Use of the latter to admit it as a SOW
ereign state at the proper time" the
address continues as follows:
1t Is only in a state that you can
have the enjoyment of all the rights
of citizens according to the principles
Of the constitution.
BY that treaty, a state government
was guaranteed to you. Mexico, in
ceding New Mexico, in her wisdom,
looked to the further protection and
welfare of her citizens. and knowing
that a state government would give
the greatest benefit and security, stip-
ulated for it on behalf of the relin-
pushed population.
During all these years the people
Of New Mexico have patiently waited
and constantly petitioned congress to
declare that the proper time had
arrived.
Everything indicates that the
proper time has arrived, and If Q
desire to enjoy the rights guaranteed
by the constitution, and be free and
independent, and not s~ervile, you can
do so by adopting thai constitution
framed for that purpose.
We ask you to abandon n territorial
form of government, and (to) assume
that of a state, because a territorial
government is contrary to the spirit
N genius OF American institutions.
Is In violation of the letter and tenor
of the Declaration of Independence
and conflicts with every right secured
to you under the federal constitution.
The supreme court of the United
States i'm one of its decisions. refer
ing to a territory. said it wac ''ao-
quired to become a state, and not to be
held as a colony and governed by con-
gress by absolute authority.
Territorial governments are organ
lied as matters of necessity, because
the people are too few in number and
scanty in 10 maintain a
state government " They
are to be tolerated and continued
only so long as the necessity exists.
These are the expressions of the high
est court in our land. They are a
judicial expression of the status of the
territory. They how you In what es-
timation a territorial government is
held by people residing beyond its
A territorial government means
weakness, instability. wrong. oppres-
sion and outrage TO the people. 1t
means you are not complete citizens.
incapable OF seif-government. n
entitled 10 enjoy the rights of
free mon; and the people of
a territory must be retarded and kept
in progress: that your laws must
amended and ahrogofa1 and others /