Las Vegas free press. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1891-1???, 1892-04-08
ORGANIZATION COMPLETED


lowing of great interest to Las We
gas:
Norman G. Raft, late cashier Of the
First National bank of Albuquerque,
n. NJ, was yesterday elected as sec
rotary of the Denver & FL Paso
short line. Mr.. Raft is said to be
very favorably known throughout
New Mexico and is recommended by
his friends as progressive man of
unusual business and executive abil-
ity. He Is now in Wichita. Kas.,
but was wired last evening to pro-
ceed at once to Las Vegas to enter
on his new responsibilities.
The directors of the road resumed
their sess ion at the chamber of COM
merce yesterday and completed the
work of the meeting by electing a
secretary adopting a system Of by.
laws for the government of the body.
The board then adjourned to meet
again in this city on the second Mon
da, Of July.
Vie President Jcffrteuu Reynolds
was ~,cn l.,t evening by q represent
auyc Of jhc News. "rn, dc.!, is
.uaN cleared r,r ic.ivc operations"
said he, "and have 40 doubt We
shall come to Denver in JuIy with a
report which will show the pcople Of
! New Mexico To be thoroughly in
earnest concerning the railway. With
the assistance and advice of Cover
nor Evans and Judge Ebert a great
deal can be accomplished which
might otherwise prove very tedious
and difficult.
"There are several points to which
might call attention In connection
with the new line. One is that the
road is exempt from taxation for five
years after it is incorporated. This
is a wise provision of the laws of the
territory, and is worth 100000 to
the company, Another point Is that
the company will be granted the en-
tire right of way through the terri
tory free of cost. These concessions
and the favorable coal leases which
have been promised | should esti-
mate at 100000 to S3,O0O,O00. AT
ter the July meeting the construc-
ton company will be organized and
work in building the road will be
commenced"
Mr.. Reynolds spoke at length in
comparison of the early history of
the Rio Grande road and that which
is apparently to be the experience of
the FL Paso Short Line. "When the
Rio Grande was built in 1872" said
he, "there was no town at Colorado
Springs, and Pueblo was. compare
lively a village. BY the rapid in
crease of business, occasioned by the
development of the country, the Rio
Grande was obliged to broad guage
its line, and the Denver & New Or
leans was built to parallel the Rio
Grande south. If north and south
lines could develop so rapidly in those
times, what can we not expect now
when we have six trunk lines on the
north and three on the south, through
country whose local resources are
vastly superior to much of the coun-
try traversed by the Rio Grande.
This is saying nothing about the
1850 miles of completed line trlbu-
tary to Denver and connecting in
Mexico.
"The FL Paso line will pass through
many large known mining districts
and will cause the development of
many new districts. 1t is the roads
along the base of the mountains that
develop the mining regions; not the
east and west roads"
Mr. Reynolds will leave for Las
Vegas al once, where he will establish
his headquarters during the spring
aud summer campaign. Speaking of
Jay Gould lie said: "Gould is too
sicl, man to build railroads. His
history shows thst he is rather a
wrecker than builder of railroads"