Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-04-22
BUT POLITICS is POLITICS.

Judge Reed Holoman, holding court at Gallup,
answered our open letter of few days ago In
which we directed to him some questions touching
the martial law order. His answer took the clever
form of grand jury report in which that body
said that the governor right and everything,
when he declared martial law at Gallup.
The declaration Of the grand jury was to the
effect that they had no confidence in the awabid-
ing qualities of their citizens; that they believe that
the people were about to outlaws; that they
had confidence in the county officers or the
district court in the matter of upholding the ma
jesty of the law; that sef-government can stand
no strain in Mckinley county; and that four com
panies of national guards and martial law order
were necessary to make the people be good. AND
they said 1t just though they believed it.
Perhaps all their dire forebodings were justi-
fled. Perhaps Gallup Is the one place in the whole
United States which is so lawless that troops were
needed to preserve order during the strike We
know of no other instance to date although have
scanned the news. Perhaps tell us
of other wicked community which we have
overlooked where similar stern methods were nee
essary.
Poor Gallup! blackguarded and distrusted by
its own people OF course politics did not dictate
this report. 1t spontaneously just because the
grand jurors were SO distrustful of the law-abid-
ing character of their neighbors and were very
thankful to Governor Mechem for saving them
effervescing
We take the whole thing with grain Of salt.
The grand jury did not say that disorders were
prevalent and the situation beyond control They
did not return any indictments against rioters or
outlaws. There was one to indict, for nothing
had happened. But they agree with Governor Me-
chem's prophetic insight that something awful
about to happen and that General Brown arrived
just in time to prevent Mckinley county from com
mitting hari kari If the time ever comes when
New Mexico doesn't have prophet in the COVER
nors chair what fix she will be in, under the
ent Interpretation of when martial law is justified
The Gallup grand jury puts the stamp of genuine
ness the governor the only simon-pure, hon
est-to-goodness prophet in the profit business.
They insist that the governor could smell what
going on in the peoples minds and that their smell
lers confirm his scent and lead them to the con-
clusion that he is the greatest distance smell
ler of thoughts and intentions at large in the
United States.
In prospecto! No real actual disorders are
recorded by the grand jury. Just fears! Fears and
gratitude to the governor.
OF course a republican judge who desires to be
governor and a republican sheriff who belongs
to Gregory Page, republican overload and repub
lican district attorney who controls the question of
what witnesses go before the grand jury and the
coal barons who went before the grand jury, never
thought of such thing pulling off piece of
politics to help Governor Mechem We would
favor putting any one who intimated such thing,
in Jail for contempt of court. Those officials and
worthy gentlemen think of politics when
court is in session-except while they are awake.
The Journal will bet its Associated Press fran
chise against coal operators conscience (and that
is betting most valuable asset against nothing)
that Judge Reed Holloman does not subscribe to
the legal proposition to-the political maxim
that governor can declare martial law in antcl-
patton of possible trouble. We will let the Judge
decide the bet and we will agree to publish his de-
cision Come on, Judge Holloman. let's hear from
you
The grand jury thanks the governor for his fore
sight in taking the peoples political liberties away
from them before there time for anything to
happen and for giving the community black-eye
for awlessness before any one had committed
acts of real violence.
But then, grand juries solemn things and
pronouncement from the mysterious caverns Of the
grand jury room, is very convincing. And
thing profoundly convincing is needed just to
support the governor in his egregrous blunder.
That fact may. may not explain how a grand
jury, empaneed to bring indictments. goes out of
it's way to strongly commend the governors act in
Illegally declaring state Of martial law.
But politics is politics and the end justfes the
means.