The Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (New Albuquerque, N.M.) 1882-1884, 1882-11-14
A GOOD LETTER,

From Our Correspondent on the wing-AL
buquerqus Compared With her Sister
CftiGs---An Arsenal to be Established here
Efforts to be Made to build Territorial
Psnitentiary.
EDITOR JOURNAL Having arriv-
ed at the Missouri river and visited all
the principal towns betw cen here and
Albuquerque. sort of pious feeling
seems to have taken possession of your
correspondent and after much deliDer-
alton as to It's cause, and at first as
cribing it to climatic changes
| the true cause has been
made apparent on recalling the appear
ances, and experiences, in the various
towns already mentioned, for after
leaving the stirring and active metrop-
oils Of the southwest all other places
seem as if experiencing an eternal
Sunday so quiet do they seem in COM
parison, hence this piety. Yet it can
not be said that these places are dull
in business sense, There is enough
commercial activity to keep them well
up to the merchantile front, but cer~
tainly Albuquerque does as much
business in day, it seems to me as
most of these places i'll a week. Upon
the same train with your correspon-
dent was a representative OF and part
ner in one of the largest houses in
New York, who does business in the
west, and be stated that Albuquerque
did more business than Santa Fe and
Las Vegas put together. This was
the opinion based upon experience of
a gentleman who spends nine out of
the twelve months of the year travel
ing about this western country. and
visiting and doing business with every
town in it. As IA proof of the high es-
timation with which disinterested par
ties regard Albuquerque as a distribU-
ting point and business center, your
correspondent will relate that which
will be news to most of the people of
Albuquerque Some time since the
chief of the ordnance department. U.
S. A., or Tered Lieutenant Russell, of
that department, to inspect the cOun-
try comprising the southwestern Terri
tories and select some place favorably
located upon trunk lines of railways
which could be used by the depart
ment as a distributing point, and
where an arsenal would be established
for the storage of munitions of war.
1t Is useless to add, that after travelling
over the country and carefully eXamin-
ing all localities, none were found that
so eminently filled all the requirements
as Albuquerque; for it is not only the
geographical center of New Mexico,
but of all the great southwest as well !;
and so Lieutenant Russell will report
| to his department in favor of Albu-
querque; and Messrs. Mack s. Whee-
lock have been requested to furnish one
of their maps of the town which
will probably accompany Lieutenant
| Russelfs report. Thus Albuquerque
will re, eive another addition 10 her
marvellous prosperity and growth. 1t
is not for your correspondent to hint
that this step is only the first Of others
| that may bring the military headquar-
ters to Albuquerque. They were estab-
| lished at Santa Fe when the ancient
city was the great distributing point
for the whole southwest. But since
the advent of railways the business
and commercial Centre has moved to
Albuquerque, and it cannot be long
before the headquarters of this depart
ment is moved to Albuquerque for the
same reasons that originally brought
them to Santa Fe. Among those from
the central city who were fellow pas
sengers with your correspondent was
Mr.. Elwood MAIDEN who recently sold
the MAIDEN house to eastern parties for
$30,000 Mr.. Maiden, however, does
not intend leaving Albuquerque per-
manently. He goes east for the pur-
pose of purchasing a large stock of
glassware, crockery, silverplated ware,
etc, and it is his intention of doing
wholesale and jobbing business in these
goods. This will be tie main branch
of the business, but retail department
will also be established Mr. MAIDEN
intends purchasing his fine imported
goods in New York. His store will
occupy the premises formerly tenented
| by the MAIDEN house Office and bar
room.
Conspicuous among the fellow trav-
elers of your correspondent was Gov.
Sheldon of this Territory, who is OH
his way to his old home in Ohio. The
| Governor may be absent from New
Mexico for some time, but our citizens
may rest assured that he will never
neglect their interests. In conversa-
tion with your correspondent he said
he had in view an intention of getting
if possible an appropriation for the
purpose of establishing and building a
Territorial penitentlary, which should
be located near any mines or quarries
upon or adjacent to the railroad. He
remarked thai at present the people of
this Territory were at an annual
expense of nearly $4,000 for the pur-
pose of maintaining their criminals in
the penitentiary belonging to other
States All of this could be saved if
we had penitentiary as it could be
made self sustaining out of the labor
Of the conyicts and also furnish place
of safe keeping for prisoners of various
counties awaiting trial. Let us wish
the Governor all the success the pro-
ject deserves.
1t is reported to your correspondent
that an other of the large business
houses of Santa Fe is about to
establish itself in Albuquerque
though the removal will not take
place Immediately.
The weather is unusually warm in
the vicinity OF eastern Kansas at pre-
sent, and an Indian summer of unus-
ual intensity seems to prevail, All
the cities and towns are apparently
doing q prosperous business and there
are no complaints from the merchants
anywhere. The indications point to
an active aud buisy winter in CONNER