The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1920-12-22
SUPERFICIAL

IN the people in determining their estimates OF pubnc servants.
In an editorial in Tuesday S Journal the Prophet OF the Dawn
Of the New Day undertakes to outline for an interested public the
general character of the inaugural address which Governor-elect
Mechem should deliver on January list.
This efor. on the part of the Prophet is quite consistent. It
will be recalled that he recently undertook to determine for the po-
pie who should be the candidate on the ticket successfully led by
Judge Mechem; that a little later he was equally firm in assuring MS
that the Dawn of the New Day would be delayed unless the candidate
for governor consented to serve as a photograph for the Voice of
Prophecy and that yet a little later he broke it to us definitely that
the Dawn simply would not be permitted to happen at all, should
Judge Mechem be elected. Thus iti is in no way inconsistent in the
Prophet to inform the people, well in advance of his inauguration, of
would establish for the use of the people in judging the new admin
istration.
We are most interested now in the standards which the Prophet
wouln establish for the use of the people in judging the new admin,
consistent with the standards by which the Prophet is accustomed
TO arrive at his judgments of public men and upon which, indeed, he
is often given to pronouncing sentence as well.
Thus we find in Tuesdays Journals
"By his Governor, Mechems 9 inaugural declaration
the public win largely determine its estimate of the states
manliAe qualities of the man, BY il, too, they will appraise
his courage and his independence"
If this is the standard by which the Prophet is accustomed to de.
termine his estimates Of men there is at last available some explana-
ton fr some OF the wierd conclusions he has reached.
We may thank our stars (Which still faithfully serve to guide
us in the continued delinquency of the Dawn that the Prophets es-
innate Of the public intelligence and the public judgment is distorted
and that the people reach their estimates of public servants by no
such superficial standards.
Had the people of New Mexico been given to determining their
estimates of men and measures by the standard Of mere words our
state would have been turned upside down, all of our public servants
would have been condemned to tread the vale of humiliation Of
defeat, a majority of our principal industrial and professional. lead
es would have been elected from the community, a tax-free people
pious phrases, and the Benign Rays Of the Dawn of the New Day
would be radatng literally from the windows of the executive Offices
illuminating the Prophets path to glory and the United States
senate
Fortunately the people have been thoroughly educated in the
significance Of purely vocal exercises, the blowing of the bugle and
the noise of the big bass drum. They know very well the value of
those evidences Of personal political activity, as standards for esti-
mating men They are not given to snapjudgments and they ordi-
narily wait for a fair volume of the evidence to be in and sifted before
determining their estimates
1t would seem that the people, upon the evidence before them,
reached a fairly definite conclusion as to the courage and independ-
on November 3 last. The estimate did not agree with that voiced by
the Prophet of the Dawn of the New Day. He used his own curious
rfandardo Tho naonla mead nj anfm1v 1fHaranf him 90
We should be unpleasantly surprised should the people deter.
mine their estimate of the kind of an executive Judge Mechem will
prove to be, from what he may say in his inaugural address.
We have not talked with the governorclect about his inaugural
S SaScs' ! ,S 3 vhost or any = n 0G 1SoV wn oS h SS talked Ians q w shnr, hum n n about but d it; vS %t
1t viii contain. Judging from his campaign addresses, our guess
would be that Governor Mechem will refrain from flights of oratory
courage Our guess would be that the address will cover in a bust
Hesslike way that program which Governor Mechem outlined to the.
people during the campaign, concerning what he hopes to accomplish
as governor Of New Mexico and how he hopes to accomplish it.
We doubt If the people of New Mexico reach any other or further
or more complete estimate as to the kind of administration Judge
.Mechem viii give New Mexico, from hearing or reading his inaugural
address than they reached when a very large majority of them voted
for him The conclusion OF that majority, clearly, was that the gov
he will do mis- best to justify that trust. Having reached that edi
mate and decision and having voiced it at the polls, the people, if
we firmly believe they have, will determine their estimate Of the
statcsmanhke qualities of Governor Mechem by what he does as
proposes, hopes or expects TO do.
We have had a wide and liberal education in inaugural addresses,
having read an enormous number of the same, as written by a large
assortment Of state and national executives. Most Americans who
follow public affairs to any extent, have the same knowledge. 1t has
been our observation that, with a very few exceptions, the inaugural
addresses that discharge barrages of oratorical bursts concerning the
pendeuce Of the speakers, their hatred of politicians, their defiance Of
bosses and their own personal prowcss' ordinarily lead to a field Of
That kind of inaugural address is comparatively easy. Il re-
qures no thought snd little knowledge. Any person of average in.
telieenee high school education and highpowered cgotism can pre-.
pare such a speech. We have no doubt that the Prophet Of the Dawn
of the New Day could retire to the lofty pinnacle Of editorial aloof-
a governor should deliver in order to establish himself in tho conf
dsnse Of thess people who are accustomed to fan for verbose blasts
We haven't any idea that Governor Mechem will deliver that