Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-23

Miguel county on account Of the pop
llation of Las Vegas exceeding 5000,
10 they passed a special act eXempting
Las Vegas and San Miguel county,
leaving only Albuquerque as the vic
tim, as was originally Intended,
You know that it would never have
done TO deprive Las Vegas, because
that city furnishes one OF our great
Statesmen,
Does anyone suppose that Albuquer-
queans were surprised when they read
IN the paper a few mornings ago that
the army commission had sighted AL
buquerquc and passed or eastward.
They were looking for a site for re-
cuperation hospital and our Chamber
or Commerce had asked one of our
great statesmen to lay a statement Of
All'lqperque's qualifications before it.
The officials of the Chamber of Com
merce should not 10y their faith in
such things as politicians. They might
have gotten better results ~ cooper
atlng with the Ro AIRY club, as they
have done in the drainage project.
Or If they fail again. they might
condescend to cooperate with the
Elks club or the Country club or the
Retail Merchants club; but my dear
Chamber of Commerce, beware Of the
political club. for it is not made in
albuquerque.
As / have proven in this article,
those politicians who are for us have
no power, and those who have power
are against us. Our local politicians
are each out for themselves indiVid-
ually and will not speak up for their
own community. ! should think that
the Albuquerque politicians would feel
like whipped ours. Instead of that,
they have the temerity to ask us to
contribute to state campaign funds to
put the enemies of Albuquerque into
office.
Instead of that they try to camou-
flage an issue by publishing copies of
foolish letters and kilograms TO each
other. These vapid efforts are con-
Albuquerque politicians
are splendid fellows; too nice, in fact,
to compete with the shrewdness of
their outside enemies.
Not many, ] suppose, know any,
thing of the New Mexico battleship
silver service The last legislature
$1,000 of the peoples
money to purchase a silver service, as
a gift from the people OF New Mexico
to the battleship New Mexico. The
act provided for COM
to be appointed by the gov
ernor. 1t was assumed that the com
would be appointed from the
several larger cities of the state, The
commission was appointed in due time
but 10 and behold. all three were res
idents of Santa Fe. 1t has been the
custom in most states to let the con-
tract for the battleship silver through
the local jeweler in the capitol city
of the state. The contract is awarded
to any one of the great exclusive sill
yer manufacturing concerns of Amer
lea. These concerns have immense
manufacturing facilities and their
capital is millions of dollars They
employ world renowned artists in the
one object, namely the making of
beautiful silver. The local jeweler in
the capitol serves without profit and
the contract is awarded by the COM
appointed by the governor to
the lowest bidder, according to the
weight and design of the specified
tons accepted.
This was the very patriotic ar
recently made in Arizona
for the great battleship named after
that state. where the service was sent
for exhibition to the people who paid
for it. Promptness pride and pa
triotism was the keynote of the whole |
affair. Promptness of the commits |
sion, pride of the people in the crea-
ton before their eyes; patriotism of !
the legislature, the governor and the |
jeweler whose united efforts made it |
as much as possible an Arizona crea- |
ton. This is the only object in sup
plying these elegant services. Had |
10 n furnish
for the officers to eat |
from, no such expenditure would have |
been necessary. 1t was not merely |
cold blooded affair manufactured by |
a New York retail jewelry store. de- !
livered direct from New York by "a |
commission who themselves came |
from New York. as was the |
case in the New Mexico affair. just |
at a time when every incident of the |
kind should have been used to stir
up national pride and patriotism in
New Mexico.
OF course no reflection on Albu-
luerque was intended by the governor
in his appointment of the commission,
and no reflection on the people of
New Mexico was intended by the ac-
tive members of the commission in
making it so much of New York af-
fair. No doubt the few lines on the
inside sheet of our newspapers re-
Perring to the hattleship service was
4 Just and equitable compensation to
The people of New Mexico for the
money expended, No doubt it would
have diverted us from war activities to
have even published a photograph of
he service. New Mexico can never
become the great state that it should
ca pf re n MT n
,itizens maintain their spiritual home
n New York or washington. D. c.,
md maintain a spirit of contempt for
hings New MeXicon. Many people
Who have had their homes in New
Mexico for years. still have their
leart elsewhere. just as did the old
,arpet baggers of the south.
Let not the heart of Americans be
n the fatherland. nor the heart of
New Mexcans in New York or Wash
ngton. d. c. Neither let the heart
If Albuquereans be in Santa Fe or
las Vegas or Silver City or Three
Rivers or any of the other small but
politically powerful towns.
Let us all be loyal to our own; our
,wn state, our own city and our own
amily and all will be as God intended
I to be.
Let the politicians remember that
me half of the voters of Albuquerque
re Independent and non-partisan,
Mark you. politicians. that even one
lalf of the remaining half will now
-ote for the interests of Albuquerque
n any state election. That means
hat three-fourths of the voters of
are going to vote for the
nan that they consider most desirable
or the nation and for Albuquerque, !
egardless of politics.
The tariff isue is dead, the free sill
er issue is dead: all that remains is