Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-01-05
LIeweIIyn of Dona Ana County
and Judge Barnes of Bern
aHIIo Are Mentioned; Also
Spanish American.
FIGHT Between SPIESS
AND BURSUM POSSIBLE
Neither or Both May Be Pres
ent to Control legislature
John S. Clark Spoken of for
Senate Leader.
(By II. l.. ID. McAllister, staff Cor
reSpOndent)

(By r. T.. ID. McAllister, staff Cor
respondent.)
Santa Fe, Jan, 4.-The Santa Fe
railroad has put on a through sleeping
car service between Roswell and San
Ia Fe, to continue during the session
and perhaps-Santa Feans cherish the
hope that it is a certainty-after the
legislature has adjourned. 1t is an
up-to-date service, modern coaches,
comfortable travel, personal attention
and all that sort of thing. The first
sleeper came through last night.
This is not an advertisement for the
Santa Fe railroad nor the Pullman
company. The matter is mentioned in
the hope that some of the folks who
live along the line and who are due
to make some news in connection with
the legislature may see the announce
ment and come over and start some
thing. For just at this time the peo-
pie who make the news are all of them
somewhere else besides in Santa Fe.
Or at least, most of them are.
1t is the calm that precedes-shall
we say the storm? Nobody knows
this legislature, and it would be rash
indeed to predict what will happen
when it meets or at any time after
it gets into action. 1t may turn out
to be nice, ladylike session with
everybody bent on doing his little best
to help things along in a harmonious
ana enrhusiasuC FASHION. Then again
it may, not. There are the elements
of strife, discords, schism and riot in
the makeup of the body that is to
meet here next Tuesday and in the sit
uation that confronts it, if somebody
should come along and put those ele-
ments in combination. Just at this
moment no one can tell whether the
session will be very tame or very
stormy.
The Speakership.
Nobody now here whose opinion is
worth considering will attempt to
make any sort of prediction as to
who will be speaker of the house, and
manfestly, with none of the men who
are TO compose that house on the
scene, anything Ike a newspaper fore
cast is out of the question. So far
the only two names that have been
mentioned in this connection are those
of Maj w. H. II. Llewellyn, of Dona
Ana county, and Judge R. p. Barnes,
of Bernalillo county. Both men are
more or less active candidates for the
position, and presumably both OF
them have received certain number
of pledges of support, but how many
and in what proportion it is impos-
sible at this time to say.
The fact that, five days before the
meeting of the legislature, only Llew-
ellyn and Barnes have been mention
ed for the speakership does not by any
means indicate that there will not be
other entries for the honor or that
the prize will go either to one or the
other of those men. There is persist
ent talk in Santa Fe of a Spanish
American candidate who will force the
withdrawal of both Llewellyn and
Barnes from the republican caucus in
order to prevent a coalition of Span
ish-American members of both parties
and an independent organization of
the house. At the present time this
has gotten no further than the talk
stage, and the name of the prospect
i've Spanish American candidate has
not yet been mentioned out loud where
other folks could hear it. Such
coalition along race lines would not be
without precedent-indeed it is always
a possibility when New Mexico leg
islature is in session.
Will Spiess Be Present?
The legislature is republican in both
branches, and that means that If it
runs true to form it's course will be
shaped largely by outside influences.
There never has been a republican
legislature in recent years that didn't,
to greater or less extent, take orders
from republican leaders who were not
members of either house. The news
frequently adverted to this fact, but 1t
has not changed matters to any no.
ticeable. extent.
Charles A. Spiess, H. o. Bursum and
Charles Springer form a triumvirate
in whom extra-official legislative
powers have been vested during the
last few years. The last legislature
was known generally as a Bursum
legislature. 1t has generally been un-
derstood without any special reason
that is easily apparent, that this will
be a Spiess legislature.
In some quarters, however, doubt
has been expressed that the BLACK
Eagle of San Miguel will take any
part in the proceedings of this legis-
lature, and 1t has even been predicted
that he will not be here at all during
the session. unless PERHAPS for a day
or two to greet old friends. 1t is gen
orally understood that some weeks ago