Deming graphic., 1920-07-13
WHAT! CHANGE THE
NAME OF NEW MEXICO?'


The heat at Albuquerque must be
something awful. Every summer about
this time bunch Of them birds pro
pose 10 change the name Of New Mexi-
CO. Now they want To call IL Acoma,
Can you heat Il? We "wuz" In this sun
shine State for a long time before we
could pronounce the name and 10 this
Il we don't know much about II, eX-
ccpt that il is an Indian pueblo that
II a church or mission or something
Of the kind that is considered typically
pueblo in architecture-or maybe II Is
Slanish. Anyway IL isn't ON the plan
of 81. Peters or Westminster Abbey.
and visit to II Is quite disappointing
unless you happen TO be afflicted with
archaeological whatever that
is. Acoma With the accent after the
&C." il you please. One can slip up on
that word like the boys In France who
found out that the only way To learn
tO pronounce the name Of city was
10 visit IT, Take Lyons for instance
Sounds easy. doesn't IL? Well who
would guess that IL has something
something we say--Of the old Latin
pronunciation of leo" which is ''lion"
all right enough II Is an easy bet that
half the people OF New Mexico never
would learn 10 pronounce the name
"Acuma' and that the rest of the great
United States would never be certain
that II was not the name of a new dis
ease. Make IL Coma" for short or
New Rotic" for proper association.
Besides there is Zuni and Taos and
Silla and many another squalid pueblo
that might be honored by having n
great commonwealth named after 1t.
Why play favoritesy
Albuquerque certainly can't be much
more abused through the ignorance OF
the American people than Deming
Only last week our postmaster receiv-
ed package by parcel post with
customs declaration attached. A per
son that does not know that New Mex
leo Is part OF the United States
doesn't cat much ice anyway and never
would be certain whether or not
Acoma was the name of a patent med
icine or punctuation mark. Ii is the
Ignorance within our own borders
that New Mexico ought to he ashamed
of and an awakening of our people
would give New Mexico the geographi-
cnl. historical and literary standing Of
New England. So far as accomplish
ments in an educational way 90. New
Mexico hasn't earned place In the
minds of Americas millions. When
we do something and advertise IL,
people will stop paying duty on ship
ments into New Mexico. They will
come to New Mexico when they know
NJ our vast undeveloped wealth,
our state is singularly honored in re-
ceiving the name that designated the
greater part Of the vast territory cary
ed out Of the Mexican patrimony thru
the conquest of the invincible armies
that carried the American flag to the
heights Of Chapultepec. Almost half
of our population was gained by this /
conquest and the name New Mexico is |
Il memorial to an age when Americans 1
were not 700 proud or too eliminate To \
fight for the expansion Of the republic. I
We rather like the people, as well as I
the state, for they have been source 1
of strength TO the great republic which /
has given them free government. An \
other slice from northern Mexico would /
leave New Mexico high and dry within |
The American borders; give more Span
ish speaking peoples an opportunity to
live and afford additional space for 4
expanding population.
There Is just as much reason for
New Mexicans TO be proud Of their
historical past as the inhabitants OF
the original thirteen colonies. The
Spanish soldiers and padres that ira
yersed the southwestern deserts. laid
the foundation for Americas fairest
provinces, and were quite as honorable
ms the pilgrims. They demonstrated
the same religious zeal and invincible
spirit of adventure. New Mexico has
a past lost in antiquity, but even our
own citizens know less Of II than of
other sections where literary genius
has more generally flOurished. 1t is
not in the name that our obscurity
lies, but In our failure 10 make known
the glorious mysteries that make New
Mexico a name to conjure with.
If the Kiwanls would go TO the legis-
lature with measure 10 adequately
advertise New Mexico and a measure
10 reofganize our public schools and
our institutions Of higher
learning we would get somewhere.
liut to propose so inadequate a pana-
cea as changing the name Of the state,
: hows lack Of apprecition Of true
values, much In the same way as the
settlers on Whiskey Greek In Grant
county failed to perceive the tradition
nl flavor Of the ancient name that they
should have cherished
Change the name Of New Mexico?
Il, nOr"