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Show HISTORY 1880 At the session of the assembly in 1907, Governor Hagerman es The friends of Mr. Bursum and es 7 2 a stormy experience. Pp can machine were in power in the lower house and were a e an act through the legislature by which it was possible to ae judicial determination of the differences between the et Mr. Bursum in the matter of the financial management of penite ae Governor Hagerman was charged by his tiary affairs. a con of matter the in house upper with procuring votes in the tions of his appointees by promises of appointments made to severe of the members years, whether only eee 10 a custom in New Mexico, practice a course which had become many If this was so he was of that body. under or republican democratic administra- a oe has been stated, it was the general belief that Governor man had been appointed with the purpose of correcting abuses 10 “ The interior eh matter of the disposal of the public lands. and the department efforts in uncovering particularly of justice were frauds and meting : : active out punishment ie bie Grand juries in several of the judicial . doers in this regard. tricts made investigations on charges preferred by the United Sta f : attorney and a number of indictments of influential and prom The territory was flooded with special agent men were returned. and one or two assistant general attorneys investi. made " fe 7 Prior 'to the appointment of Governor Hagerman a agreement had been made with the officers of the territory “ae purchase of certain public lands, in which a corporation know ne the Pennsylvania Development Company had become exect the and lands these for price purchase The payment of the ; : h under be sued, or by which a person paying money to the territory, ev a ae was protest, could have the matter investigated in court 5 but ae from him, passed during Mr. Hagerman’s administration, and without 0 aa Mr. Bursum allowing suit to be brought by any one under such ee the result that, brought such a suit. The case was publicly tried in court, wl art found tha after hearing all the testimony that any one had to offer, the a the territory instead of Mr. Bursum owing the territory the money he had “ven ordering owed him at the time over a hundred dollars. Judgment ee appointe the money he had paid to be refunded. During the trial t ks which he @ the territorial traveling after a thorough auditor investigation to make of the a report original on the bea entries, books of the penitentiary and territorial treasury, and and inv one ida nesses. He was the official charged by law with the ener of county officers and private banks, and had been hims Governor Hagerman.’’ vouchers, of wit- n of the accounts appointe TO 1912 D090 and delivery of the deeds therefor had not been consummated. Governor Hagerman, convinced that the agreement was lawful, completed the transaction by delivering the deeds and accepting the money from the representative of the company, Willard 8. Hopewell. There is no doubt that Governor Hagerman was actuated only by the best of motives in thus handling the matter, but, in the condition of affairs political then existing, there was no good political reason for his not declining to assume any responsibility and to have referred the claimants to the courts for such remedy as the law provided. His action gave his political enemies the opportunity they sought, and, coloring his acts as much as possible with charges of looked for support from democratic sources, it was no difficult matter to make out a case which would convince the average political reformer, sent out from Washington for purposes of investigation, that the act of the executive was contrary to all precedent and blameworthy in the extreme.**? In the month of April, 1907, like a *67 Alvord W. Cooley, an assistant attorney furnished the president with the information whichgeneral, made the report or culminated in a request for Governor Hagerman’s resignation. Immediately after it was made known to Governor Hagerman that his resignation was desired, a great many messages were sent from New Mexico urging the president to reconsider his action. Others were sent protesting against any such action on the part of the president. In a letter to Governor Hagerman, relative to these telegrams and the reasons which had been potent in bringing about the request for his resignation. President Roosevelt said: ‘‘The White ‘‘My Dear Mr. Hagerman: House, Washington, ‘* May D. C. 1, 1907. ‘‘Mr. Gifford Pinchot has presented me your telegram to him in which you ask that it be brought to my personal attention, stating that hundreds of people have Sent telegrams to the president protesting against my accepting your “esignation, and stating furthermore that if my action in requesting your resignation is not revoked it will be a calamity to the territory, and that if I will reconsider this action you are positive I will see the injustice and unwisdom of It from every point of view. ‘This renders it necessary for me to write you very plainly. You made, as I am informed, a good secretary of legation at the court of St. Petersburg. All that I have heard of your private life is to your credit. Furthermore, I believe you have done certain excellent things while you were governor, and of course, I will permit nothing good you have done to be undone. But I must add that on the whole I think you have been an unsatisfactory governor and that your removal from the position is imperatively demanded. If it were not for my knowledge of your previous career and of your standing in private life, and my consequent reluctance to believe that your motives as improper as certain of your acts would indicate, I should have removed were you instead of requesting your resignation. I have not thought it necessary to go into any Matters as to which there was any chance of controversy, and the department of Justice has been ag anxious as I have to show you all consideration and to Se eT ar Le oa er fa area CS et ie oe ee ee ee ee | cansRFSee Be, eee eke alIe Pee ot ee et Pind Ps APA Pd IN MEXICAN OF NEW FACTS * LBADING La to J a ee ae ee ae 554 |