Albuquerque Morning Journal

If You Want to Go to Old Town Better Get Permission From Boatright.

If you are a city official—Don't go to Old Town or Barelas, and don't think of going up to the university on the hill, unless you first ask permission from Boatright. If you do, and you happen not to be in right with John W. Wilson and Charles Chadwick, you may find yourself deprived of your office on your return to the city limits.

That, citizens of Albuquerque, is the logic of the latest pronouncement from D. H. Boatright, by the grace of arithmetic the present mayor of Albuquerque. Of course, Boatright didn't think it out. Wilson and Chadwick did that for him. But that is what it means.

While the mob was still howling about the city hall Monday night the Boatright-Wilson-Chadwick mob—and the officers of the law were in a virtual state of siege inside the office of the chief of police. City Attorney John C. Lewis volunteered to go in an automobile to Santa Fe and get from the constituted authorities an order to prevent the atrocity that was then being attempted. Mr. Lewis is frail physically, and the trip meant great hardship to him, but he was willing to make this sacrifice in the interest of public decency and of law and order. He was not acting officially, but in a private capacity he was performing a public service.

The case would have been no different if Judge Brunsvold had been in his office in the court house at Old Town and Mr. Lewis had gone there to get the order. In either case he would have had to step beyond the limits of the city of Albuquerque.

Mr. Lewis was acting under authority received from the preceding administration to leave the city on private business when not incompatible with the public interest. Not a single moment was lost from the business of the office to which he had been appointed. The authority that he had received had never been revoked and WAS STILL IN FULL FORCE

Yesterday afternoon the Boatright-Wilson-Chadwick combination, stung by the fact that the law had foiled their illegal purpose, had an order issued declaring the office of city attorney vacant, citing as their authority the fact that Mr. Lewis had left the city without Boatright's permission. The law relied on has as much to do with this case as the law against murder has to do with the law against discharging firearms within the city limits. It was designed to prevent absentee landlordism among officeholders.

The fact that no official can be removed from office without charges being duly preferred against him and being given an opportunity to be heard, never once occurred to the Boatright-Wilson-Chadwick combination. The lawyer of the combination, whoever he is, had probably never heard of such a principle of law.

And now, citizens of Albuquerque, what are you going to do about it? The city is now in the hands of Boatright, who in two weeks has done more harm than another man could do in two years. Wilson, who is smitten with a desire to hold an office wholly beyond his capacities; Chadwick, who wants to be sheriff and is not particular about how he gets the office.

What are you going to do about it?

P.S. JUST AS THE BOATRIGHT-WILSON CHADWICK COMBINATION WAS 'OUSTING' JOHN C. LEWIS AS CITY ATTORNEY WORD CAME THAT HE HAD WON IN THE SUPREME COURT THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT CASES BROUGHT BY HIM AGAINST THE WATER SUPPLY COMPANY. THIS IS THE MAN THEY WANT TO THROW OUT IN ORDER TO GIVE A JOB TO WILSON!