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CHAPTER IX.

PROPOSED CHANGES OF NAME.

In other chapters we have had occasion to refer to various proposed changes in the name of New Mexico when it should enter the Union as a State, especially the attempt in the Omnibus Bill in the 50th Congress (1888) to call it Montezuma, and the peculiar provision in the bill introduced by Hon. Antonio Joseph, Feb. 15, 1889, which apparently sought to accomplish the same result by indirection. No such changes ever found favor in New Mexico, and the project was denounced as soon as known.

At a meeting of the people of New Mexico held in the court house, in the city of Santa Fe, in the winter of 1888-9, Hon. James A. Williamson presiding, a committee of 26, representing all portions of the Territory, was appointed on resolutions, with Judge Hazledine as its chairman. The committee reported the following, which were unanimously adopted:

"Whereas, the name of New Mexico has been for more than three hundred years applied to this Territory, and the inhabitants have for generations held that name in veneration and desire to perpetuate it in their history as the name of a sovereign State;

"Resolved, That simple justice to this people demands that they should be permitted to perpetuate the history and achievements of their forefathers by retaining "New Mexico" as the name of the new State."

These Resolutions were presented to the Senate April 7th, 1890, accompanied by a communication from Judge Hazledine.

Notwithstanding the strong sentiment in New Mexico against a change, from time to time various suggestions have continued to be made as to a new name for the future State, and some of these have been persistently advocated.

A favorite argument and one that might have weight if there was not so much sentiment and such a long historic association involved, is that the name New Mexico is con

fusing and that foreigners and even Americans from the east are likely to confound it with the Republic of Mexico. This has been illustrated by numerous anecdotes, which are often true, of apparently intelligent citizens of New York or Massachusetts who direct letters to Mexico instead of New Mexico, or express surprise that Albuquerque is in the United States or that they see an American flag in Santa Fe or that American postage stamps are good in Las Vegas; and it is said that the old name is an obstacle to immigrtion and will handicap the progress of the new State.

One of the most persistent efforts in this direction was to establish a State of Lincoln, especially since Washington was similarly honored in the far northwest. This was earnestly advocated as far back as the "60s" and even within the last few months a number of communicationshave appeared in the press in favor of its adoption.

David Dudley Field for some reason felt a great interest in the subject of the name and wrote a number of letters to periodicals some twenty years ago earnestly advocating the name of Montezuma; and he even went to the trouble of visiting Washington and interviewing prominent members of Congress in behalf of this project. The peculiar provision in section 20 of the Omnibus Bill of 1888 was. probably inserted owing to his solicitation and influence.

More recently, Hon. B. S. Rodey, one of the most enthusiastic of Statehood workers, has argued strongly in favor of the adoption of Acoma as the name of the new State, possibly in order that alphabetically it should lead in the roll at National Conventions and similar meetings.

This fact is that New Mexico is altogether the most historic and dignified name in the United States. There is but one geographical name in the entire country older than this, and that is the name of Florida. Long before the settlement of Jamestown, still longer before the Hollanders came to New Amsterdam or the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, the name of New Mexico had been fixed and. established, and was known throughout the civilized world.. It dates back to 1583, more than three and a quarter cen

turies ago. In that year Espejo marched up the Rio Grande in hopes of rescuing from a martyr's fate the three Franciscan missionaries who had settled upon its banks near the modern Bernalillo.

After passing the desert to the south, he came into the beautiful and fertile valley of the Great River of the North, and was so struck with its resemblance to some of the most charming spots in New Spain that he christened it "New Mexico." There is no doubt of this fact or of its date; they do not rest on rumor or tradition.

So important was the discovery considered and so much interest did it create in the City of Mexico, that the Rev. Padre Juan Gonzales de Mendoza, visiting that city on his return from his travels in China, incorporated the entire history of Espejo's expedition into his book on "The Great Kingdom of China;" and as such it was not only published immediately in Spain, but translated into French, Italian and English, and thus made known to all Europe. A copy of the French edition, published in Paris in 1588, is among the literary treasures of the New Mexico Historical Society in the Palace at Santa Fe. It contains the full narration of the chivalrous expedition of Espejo from the day that it left Santa Barbara in New Biscay until its return. And here we have a chapter headed "Of New Mexico and how it was discovered," which proceeds to tell that in the year 1583 Antonio de Espejo, after traveling up the Rio del Norte, discovered a land of fifteen provinces which he called New Mexico. Thus the antiquity of the name is absolutely established; and from then until now, through all these years of time, that name has never changed.

And as to the dignity which that name represents; New Mexico was never an ordinary province of New Spain, like the regions to the south of it. It was always a separate government, with authorities appointed directly by the Spanish king, and in all ancient documents it was called "The Kingdom of New Mexico." This high dignity it possessed from the very beginning. The oldest document issued in New Mexico, of which we have any knowledge, was written before the Spanish settlement of Santa Fe, at

San Gabriel, the first capital of the province, situated where Chamita station now stands, in the wide valley at the junction of the Rio Grande and the Chama. It is signed by the first Governor and Captain General, Don Juan de Onate, under date of October, 1603. This venerable document describes Onate as Governor, Adelantado and Pacificator of "The Kingdom and Provinces of New Mexico."

An examination of any of the ancient Spanish documents fortunately preserved to New Mexico by the Historical Society, as well as those in the Archives now in Washington, of which the Territory is deprived until she has the power of Statehood by which to reclaim them, will prove that this dignified and exalted title was constantly applied to New Mexico. They will be found to be dated in this language: "Done in the City of Santa Fe, Capital of the Kingdom and Provinces of New Mexico;" and the title of the ruler was uniformly "Governor and Captain General of this Kingdom and Provinces of New Mexico." Everywhere the word is "reino," kingdom; and there is no other part of the United States that ever possessed so exalted a title.

In its extent as well as in its title New Mexico excelled in dignity and grandeur. By consulting any of the ancient maps in the Historical Society's rooms it will be seen that for more than a century the whole range of country now constituting the southern part of the United States, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, was divided between New Mexico and Florida; the dividing line being the Mississippi river. Then for another hundred years there were three divisions instead of two:-Louisiana occupying the Mississippi valley in the center; but the northern boundary of New Mexico running up indefinitely to the arctic regions.

So the people are naturally proud of the historic name. For three hundred and twenty-five years this great region had been known as New Mexico. It is true that in later years it has lost part of its area. Arizona, with parts of Nevada and Utah, have been taken off on the west. Southern Colorado was cut off to enlarge that sister State. Texas occupies much of its old eastern territory. But

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still, through all the ages, under varying forms of government; under three different nationalities; sometimes kingdom, sometimes a province, sometimes a territory; through revolutionis and re-conquests and restorations, New Mexico had progressed under its original proper name unchanged and it was hoped unchangable.

It is a fact not generally known, that down to a few days before the final report of the Senate Substitute for the Hamilton Statehood Bill, in 1910, there was a strong inclination in very influential quarters to change the name of New Mexico in the bill to something modern, and this was only averted by the positive assurances from representatives of the Territory that any such change would meet such strong opposition from the people of New Mexico as to place the Statehood proposition in grave danger of rejection.

The only official endorsement of a change, was in the passage of the Joint Statehood Bill of 1906, giving the consolidated State the name of Arizona. The fact is, that the people of the Territory at large, especially the descendants of the original Spanish settlers and the older residents among the English speaking population, have never looked on any change with favor; and the day will be far distant, if it ever arrives, when the people of the present Territory will consent to a change which will break their historic connection with the past and blot from the map a name which has remained there continuously for over three hundred years.

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