Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1916-10-13

a small competitor of his in the cattle buslness-and 3 woman
There are plenty Of ranchers and others here in Governor
man in a business deal Indeed, it has for years been Governor
mess transaction. His n]eighbors concede it. and add that in deals
with the Governor they have frequently got the worst of it
own affair; He can make peace with his own conscience for his
as the instrument with which to best his neighbors and his com
pettors IN the cattle business and to prevent them from getting
what they are justly entitled to under the law, it becomes a
matter Pd Public nc concern staa and ID righteous condemnation
verified the high office he has held at the head Of the state gov
Mathews. formerly Mrs Calfee. 10y" " % "' AN'
Mrs. Mathews is the daughter of the late F. NJ. Goodm, an
oldtme rancher of Lincoln county Governor Mcdonald knew
n nr " amer Re Rs EnoMn nr since she was a girl AT the time
vantage in one instance and prevented altogether in another as
C taie She was carrying on as best she could the affairs of her
n ion dan ana Ra. weaIthy syndicate. Since that time she has mar
AS a prelude to Mrs. Mathews story it might be stated, in
explanation, that the law provides that government land selected
the State Lane, Commissioner, the Attorney General and the Gov
possible ior that Official to grant Or Withhold land selections and
The Land Commissioner and the Attorney General approved
Mrs Mrs Mat 90 ,, applications ATTIC n.i for ra selections Hti MS 80 There tSg We're no valid ali
a TS%aR- sFe6 da ta ny of an old }6nn neg sS6 ndortSni with 10 Governor 0ys Nor
official position to put a crmp in her cattle business and help his
'' 2" '' y WI Mrs Adieo Mathews story
-, AS early as 1871 had some lands set aside r selected, by
tory as soon as the lands were ready and 1 could make apphca'
Soon after the admission of New Mexico to statehood, be
gan insisting to the state land office that theiease upon the lands
selected for me be forthcoming. Through correspondence and
personal interviews with the state land commissioner learned
that Governor Mcdonald had entered strong objection to the is
s s3nim tno Of thd ,. lease nt to me .nt His Ills obj objection ost@n , waS l biased De on the
lands he owned. '1 '' VI '0 '
Governor Mcdonald agreed that he would withdraw his pro
test against this lease to me if would build my fence in the way
s s@ggT %cDo og Rd% would I'd R have ett m le cd 6fHee o ff f 5gss' my o Wy G pt.
ented land in the vicinity, and from the water there. In other
would have thrown my land open to Governor McDonald's stock;
have cut off my cattle from access to the National Forest where
part of my stock were grazing and had been for years, and for
""" The state land commissioner sendeavored to have Governor
Mcdonald and m settle Our differences. feeling that If was a
question of range rights and therefore might better be adjusted
hi. f GGyGr Po1aiS msnq 3Hs1d fr Pr0pq 5m, to be me %oY T' r thsi If 5Di Sogs95
u Dpo t TO the state land comm isa But m Governor vo Mcdonald
asked such an exorbitant price for his land that could not al
ford to pay it He wanted $4,000 for poor land without permanent
After three years Of controversy during which time Governor
of state leases to me, we finally reached an agreement by which
~ Wno maI that o u Agreement q mem he eV Withdrew itbG w"I his " protest t and ~ I was a' pT
mitted to lease the land from the state
selected for lease by me One application was sent to the state
jan! January Tg" 1913. These These lands all lay within in" my ry% range and n% were re-
lands had been using for many years
LAND applied gdn for r. would t%n n be selected e. ID, for Me- fenced tmG [on quite s a largG
thought the lands had been selected by the state and that
:, 4. '@ 95s ' @12,. after :, me ,ba fence Nc : was s. sonP'e fsa, a o sq%!a n argent
Charles r. Barker, called upon me and said he was making an
official Sns hi % E%d gamine9 Of m my t enc al re t SAID Ro nas acting tin o under %. or
found that part of the land had fenced was vacant government
told me 1t would be his duty to make a report of the fence to
T%u . of ' the fence could %d be- Sf TAKEN %r' Later t Ti heard Off, Of two . more cs
special land agents being in the county for the purpose of inve0t
tigating my fence. One of them said he was sent out especially
from the Department Of the Interior in Washington.
The final selection of the land wanted to lease was IN to
Governor Mcdonald. His official approval was necessary before
could get the lease. Governor Mcdonald withheld It land has
withheld tito this day) and by Withholding it prevented my lease
and made my fence illegal. suspect that he got the Interior De
partment to investigate the fence but he didn't insist that the
u. S district attorney take court action about IT, That would show
Governor Mcdonald in the light of preventing mb from getting
lease of this land. So far as know, no suit was ever filed.
Dlnng the time the federal authorities were complaining
abou. my fence, expected every day to hear that the Governor
had approved the selection and that il had been filed with the
U. S. land office, thus permitting my lease and logalizng NV
fence. with the Governors approval Of the selection, the land
would have become state land, leased to me.
The State Land Commissioner and the Attorney General both
it was before Governor Mcdonald for his signature That was in
March, 1918. For all know It is stHl there, for Governor Nc
Donald has never approved the selection and has thereby pre-
vented my lease.
Governor Mcdonald, by his refusal to sign nv selection let.
we'll nigh ruined my cattle business This experience has shown
me all too clearly that Mr. Mcdonald has used the office of Gov
enor of New Mexico to further the interests of his English cattle
syndicate by riding roughshod over the rights of his small com.
petitors and his neighbors. What is the use Of'trying to compel"
on the ranges with his rich syndicate when he holds the office Of
Governor and uses It to prevent is fellow cattle ranchers from
getting justice under the law? He did not want those selections
to be made for me because by Withholding IT, he could keep the
land open to his own cattle"
Doubtless Governor Mcdonald accounts the Mathews case q
brilliant business victory for himself In the eyes of other people
he cuts a pretty contemplate fgure-making war on women com
petitors through his power as Governor For this business guber