Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-03-16

to do nothing but say how well l
think of you-that would be not only
easy but true-because | have q Pc
culiar feeling for you of this terri
tory, the people of the great plains
and the Rocky mountains. ] was in
the COW business myself for good
long time. l lived west of the Missis-
sippi. When | was elected president
/ felt that / was the first president
who had ever been really at home in
the short grass country; and so | was
able to do certain things. For instance,
start the national irrigation policy of
the government, just because ] knew
the needs OF the west. | knew how
necessary it was to put water on the
land in the west; and | also knew
how much the land would yield If
the water was put on. l had to per-
suade some OF our eastern people
from both standpoints. In the first
place they did not understand how
necessary it was to get the water on
the land, and in the next place the
few Of them who had seen the coun-
v
anything where you only had sage
brush They did not know that all
that was necessary was to put the
water on.
so the thing that would be pleas
entest to me would be merely to
speak how ] admire you, how / be-
lieved in the pioneers and how
want to talk OF your duties to your
selves and to the union when the ter
ritory becomes q state. OF course, |
want to see it a progressive state. Not
only am / progressive, but | do not
see how any westerner. indeed do not
see how any real American can be
, anything else. If you do not make
progress you are going to slip back;
you cannet stand still Either you
will go forward or will fall back, one
of the other, and according to my be-
lief, II is impossible for a great de-
mocracy to cease being progressive
and to not also cease being either
great or democratic. | want You to
be progressive; but / do not believe
in being progressive with the bride
: off. / want you to make good prog
ress; but / have not yet seen any
there was not almost as much need
of breeching work rs off trace work.
You have got to be able to haul a
wagon forward; but you have also got
to be able to pull it back, especially
when you are going down hill. | also
want you to remember that the mere
details of formal government are un-
essential compared to the vital es-
sentials OF honesty and efficiency.tI
lyou viii tolerate unfitness in your
public servants, it does not make any
difference what way you may choost
them. it is equally dlscreditable tc
you. An unfit public servant, whether
he was elected by the legislature oi
by the public at large, is equally un'
fit whether he Is unfit as Mr.. Lorimei
is unfit, who was elected by the leg
<'lature. or whether he is as unfit al
Governor Haskell of Oklahoma is un
lit, although he was elected by thu
people, makes no difference. 1t II
lyour duty as honest citizens to try Il
lremove from American public life thu
stain of having in 1t men such as Lori
mer and Haskell and the fact tina
one is chosen by direct popular vot'
and the other by the vote of legis
Ilative body, does not in either cas-
,alter in the slightest degree the facts
In each case the people are to blam
and the people hurt themselves an'
hurt themselves badly when the pu
men of that stamp in public office
And friends remember this also: ]
is all right TO have our party differ
ences, but there are certain point
upon which we cannot afford to haV
: Iany difference Of party. When tn
issue Is one Of honesty as against dis
honesty, YOU cannot afford to diVid
on party lines. Here in this state
hone that as soon as you start out o.
: your career of statehood, you Wi
) take every step 10 eliminate the us
: of money In politics. You need yer
severe corrupt practices act Ever
state should have such an act and W
need II better observed than 1t he
lbeen hitherto observed in most state'
Now | want to see New Mexico lea
on issues like that and not be con
tent to lag behind. Your first pus
ness is to govern yourselves. usu<l
we think OF the people Of the Rock
: mountains as pretty radical and eas
: erners as tending to be copservatlve'
but I do net know but that | am
little more radical than the n"ople
= New Mexico. At any rate your COZ
stimtion is q thoroughly eonservati'
=, document and ! do not think anyor
. . can complain on that score