Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-02-16
LET US FACE THE FACTS.

republicans that IT Is necessary ana "lse " uele
or repress all discussion of the "busts of the organi
zation and the administration. In making this COM
ment we refer to the republicans who desire to be
good citizens and who seek no personal favors
why in the name of sanity and deccncy. do
these good people feel that the ends Of good gov
ernment and party security demand defense OF
the indefensibIe? Every consideration indicates
that the party should be made to feel that it will
be punished by It's own members unless 1t puts
itself in shape TO properly the people of New
Mexico.
Just how this latter thing be done is
problem. The party is over-burdened with excess
baggage Of which it seems incapable of riddinS
itself. The Kingdom Of Valencia county has Don
Eduardo Otero as its little czar He rules it with
a rod OF iron. Fear, not affection, is the weapon
with which he holds these people in suhjecton
They are vassals rather than freemen. The man
who rebels is an immediate target for persecution,
AS consequence, few have the stamina and the
temerity to attempt resistance to the pretensions
of their ruler. The republican party is the bene-
ficary of this regime to the tune of some 1900
to 1900 majority in the elections.
Over in san Miguel county Don Secundno
Romero is the king. Our opinion of this man has
been expressed frequently with great vigor. He,
too can be depended upon to force, through fear
majorties of from 1900 to 1000 in the elections.
Rio Arriba county, one of the most backward
counties west of the Mississippi river, is ruled by
the Burns and the Sargents to serve their ends
The intelligent and independent in this county are
in a hopeless minority. This county can be de-
pendeed on to furnish 900 to / 500 majority.
socorro county, with its backward government,
is the black spot the escucheon of Senator Bur
sum. 1t rolls up its 1000 to 1900 republican ma
jority.
Our remarks are not based upon lack of SYM
pathy for the people of these counties The Journal
is far better friend to them than their politi-
cal expoiters who run their politics for personal
advantage and who wish to keep these people in
ignorance and fear in order that they may be
handled the more easily. We might include in the
list two three counties but these serve
purpose.
These people were born where they now live.
Their ancestors have lived there for four hundred
years They were here first. If the rest Of us do
not like the situation we do one of two things:
go away, or help these people free themselves from
their oppressors and help them to fair oppor-
tunity success. happiness and the education of
their children.
That they are without learning is not their fault.
For centuries they have lived far removed from the
educational privileges of the rest of the union.
The government spent its money freely for educa-
tfpn the Philippines and in Porto Rico but moth
ing was done for these people. We say this to the
eternal dscredit of those republicans who con-
trolled the patronage of New Mexico thirty years
ago. Had they not wished to keep these people in
subsection they would have forced the situation
upon the attention of congress and the citizen of
today would be sufficiently educated to have bet
tered his condition economically and to have devel-
oped a freedom of action in politics.
To take the position that do not live in these
counties and therefore have no responsibility, is
suicidal We It to these people to to 1t
that they relieved Of the handicaps under which
1obo Rncid Ivoo fn o1rGn
This brings to the point have in mind.
When republican governor is nominated and
elected it is done by the grace of Eduardo Otero.
Secundino Romero. Thomas Cable William and
Edward Sargent, Thomas Burns and like few. The
instant he is elected he is surrounded by this group
OF friends" who demand certain favors in appoint
ments and policies They elected him. He must
yield to them or go to the political graveyard As
a matter Of fact he does both for yielding makes
his administration failure.
These men have never sought a single disinter-
ested public benefit. They have sought to
do any public act to help their people. They have
sought nothing but Personal advantage. Their
insistence has made the life of every governor q
purgatory. The power of these in the state
must be broken before decent government pre-
vail. 1t must be broken in the state before It can
be broken in their respective counties.
There IS way TO accomplish this thing except
for the republicans in the of the state to refuse
TO stand Tor IL any longer. When these meT
realize that combining to dictate in a convention
will result In party defeat at the polls, they will
stop. Until then they will keep in their present
course.
So we say it is difficult to see how the repub.
Hcan party redeem itself and stay in power. II
cannot, unless independent republicans elsewhere
in the state make it distinctly known that they will
no longer stand for this condition.
AS long educated people outside Of these
feudal counties alloy themselves be arrayed half
and-half along party lines, 1t will go on. The
special interests can spend their money and
power in these counties and control the state fol
their benefit. Everybody suffers including the
rank and file of the people in these counties.
The Journal is fully aware that this statement
will be used in these counties to show that we
think lily Of these people. We do not. They have
our profound sympathy We desire to help them
We wish to have the rest of the state helu them t.
thrw off their oppressors
A frank facing of the facts by the people OF the
state is the only remedy. There enough intel
ligent. sensible and public-spirited people in thu
state, Anglo-American and Spanish American, tt
stop this sort Of thing Then, under decent lead