Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1912-07-10

arg law that was absolutely vicious,
III that it gave the voters no chance
to select and nominate candidates for
Office in advance of the so-called prim-
aries provided for by the act. 1t
particularly denied the right OF the
voters to organize for the purpose of
protecting themselves against
political machine. Il was especially
directed against the Progressive Re
publicans of the state to prevent
them from organizing for the fall ell
ection, and destroyed the secrecy of
the ballot at such primaries The
law was vicious and inimical to the
interests Of the people, and of course.
could not escape the objections of
the governor. He killed it by his veto
as it was his duty 20 dp.
The county salary bill that was pas
sed was distinctly a partisan measure
that favored a few henchmen with
eNhorbitant salaries and punished
others who did not stand ready to
become the sIbseryient creatures of
the bosses. For three long months
that the iegis ature was in session,
the dictionaries frittered away the
peoples money in seeking to gain
some partisan advantage by which
they could handicap the executive of
the state.
They and their cohorts planned the
suspension of four members of the
house from Rio Arriba and Taos coun-
ties on trumped up charge of bribery
because it was believed by them that
such members could not be control
led in the selection of q United States
Senator. The trap they set for these
members, OF course, proved abOrtive,
but learning nothing from experience
and unmindful of the Indignation of
the general public against them and
their conduct, the reactionaries OF
the senate brutally olsted Abelino
Romero. a Progressive Republican in
that body, so as to give them a two
thirds majority Romero had been
elected as a Senator from Socorro
county by 124 majority over his oppo
nent. No testimony had been taken
in the case against Romero No wit
nesses were called before the con-
mittee on Privileges and Elections
where the case was supposed to be
pending. No meeting of the COM
nittee was ever held to give Mr.. Ro-
nero, or his attorney, chance to
be heard, and no report of the case
was ever made to the Senate, but on
a suddenly prepared resolution the
word was passed around, and Romero
without the semblance of fairness or
decency was kicked out of the Senate
because they could not control him
in their schemes after having made
overtures to him for that purpose.
With only few exceptions were
any laws passed by this legislature,
that were demanded by the people, and
the few that were passed, were i'm
properly considered and rushed
through in the closing hoIrs of the
session.
The final wind-up on the senatorial
election was farce, and disgrace
to the state. and the actors therein,
and their conduct will be duly ex-
posed hereafter.
No legislature ever met in New
Mexico that would compare with the
first legislature of the state for mis-
representation of the peoples inter-
est 1t is true that the Progressive
members of the two houses who were
elected as such, insisted upon the
legis' alton that the people demanded,
but they were poweress against the
reactionaries and pretenders in these
two bodies.
The conduct of the standpatters
both in and out of the legislature en-
phasizes the necessity of continued
work by the Progressive Republicans
of New Mexico and those who be-
lieve in its principles and purposes
along the lines heretofore laid down