Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-02-10
L[EWE[LYN AND
LESTER LETTERS
ARE SENSATIONAL
Former Regents of State COL
lege Speak Their Minds to
Chief Executive on State
College Affairs,
Issse'.t eo'Hrsporosses TO MORNING JOURNAL

SPECIAL eoRHEsPoHptHos TO MORNING JOURNAL
santa Re, Feb. 9.-Among the pa
\ pels transmitted by Governor Me
Donald To the state legislature in re-
/ Spouse TO the house Joint resolution
ealllng Tor information relative TO the
lallure of the First state bank of Las
+ cruces and the connection with that
/ Institution Of the affairs OF the New
Mexico College of Agriculture and
| Meehanle Arts are letters from Nor
gan O. LleWellyn and f. r. Lester,
| former members OF the board of re-
gents OF the state college which con-
tain quite frank, If not sensational
/ statements regarding the manage
ment of the college The following
/ letters are part of the correspondence
on the subject:
/ Las Cruces, ~ NJ, Dec. %. 1914.
/ Honorable William c. Mcdonald,
Santa re, New Mexico.
1 My Dear GOVERNOR
I This will acknowledge receipt of
your telegram of even date herewith
AZ follows:
81 request that you forward TO me
Immediately your resignation as a
| member of the board Of regents OF
1 the New Mexico College of Agricul-
! ture and Mechanic Arts"
This request for my resignation
undoubtedly grows out of the fall
ure Of the First State bank Of this
1 place, and the fact that the funds of
the New Mexico College OF Agrcul-
| ture and Mechanic Arts were on de-
post there in my name as secretary
| treasurer. The effect Of your action
is to single me out Of the board OF
regents of this institution as the
scapegoat of real or fancied sins Of
| omission or commission, which you
apparently fear may be charged 10
your administration. The only other
hypothesis upon which this action
may be explained is that you have
listened 10 the idle calumny Of per-
sonal and political enemies of mine
and those who seek their own saliva
tion in my humiliation. The latter
phase Of the question may be taken
up in its own good time and place.
AS to the first, the facts either at
your command or in your possession
are as follows: You are the governor
of New Mexico and the officers of
the state banking department are
creatures of your appointment ana
subject to your immediate direction
and control, actually if not in law.
You are ex-officio member of the
board of regents of the New Mexico
College of Agriculture and Mechanic
Arts. and have acted in such capa-
citv and are charged with knowledge
of and have personally had full
knowledge of all matters germane 10
the matters in issue In February
last your bank examiner, Howell Ear
nest, came to Las Cruces and exam :
Eined the First State bank. AT the
conclusion Of that examination he
called together the directors OF that
institution and told them that on ac-
count of events recently transplred
that certain things should be done 10
make that institution whole from
losses incurred and that certain othef
things should be remedied TO con-
form to the state banking laws ana
regulations. Three months were CIV
en- for the fulfillment Of one of these
conditions and six months for the tui-
fiIment of the other.
The First state bank closed ITS
doors on the 9th day Of December,
and from February until that date no
representative either of yourself or
banking department ever came to the
/ town Of Las Cruces or made any eX-
animation of the First State bank
! whatever to determine whether those
absolute conditions had been Iul-
filled.
You were personally present when
the conditions were made and gave
YOUR fun assent to them. and you
knew that no further step was ever
! taken Neither you nor any officer
of your banking department ever no
| tilted or intimated to me That the
| First state bank was insolvent or u
dangerous condition, although you
knew il was the depository of the
funds in my custody.
After the above referred TO ana
after the time when you have lateP
stated that the bank should nave
! been closed you stood by as an exec
utive and permitted as n regent my
depositing in that bank every doliar
of the funds now endangered by the
! failure of that institution. you KNOW
or should know that the college VIII
not lose a dollar of the money so de-
posted by me and this fact IS due
| 10 my own action in procuring the
| bond now in my possession ASSURING
! that deposit Therefore, until some
definite reason be offered me, | de-
cline TO accede to your peremptof"
request. Very truly yours,
(signed.) NJ. O. LLEWELLHN'
Mesilla Park, n. NJ, Dec. 3, 1914.
Hon. William c. Mcdonald, Governor
Santa Fe, n. M.
Dear Governor Mcdonald;
You have probably been ADVISED
by other persons that the First state
bank. after experiencing a run, closed
! "a. doore this morning,
have been doing business with this
hank myself for some time, person
| bnHh - county road