Las Vegas free press. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1891-1???, 1892-04-02
kN,TEIR CITIZEN SPEAKS.


l. i not customary in time of Wa
to TAKE counsel of the enemy, an"
follow his advice in planning ano
inducing campaign. Such "a
c urse would be certain destruction.
aud The very idea of it is so repug-
nant to all sense of propriety, that
one who even suggests it, is straight
way branded aS a traitor. The arll'
Gle of Citizen" in the Optic of the
23d would convey the idea that he
was a friend of the town of Las We
gas, and earnestly seeking to further
its interest. This would be wei
were it not coupled with the approx
al of Mr.. Millheiser's idea, and IL
furtherance of Mr.. Millheiser's
schemes to entrap the town in such q
position as TO smooth his pathway
to success.
Mr. Millheiser is an open and
avowed enemy of the town of Las
Vegas, and really the only one of its
enemies who has had the manlinesN
to stand out and fight uncovered. He
has never either had or expressed any
interest in the town, except in 80 far
as 10y the expression of that interest
he might induce the town to aid him
and his associates in approprlatlng II e.
entire grant to themselves. His suit
now pending in the district court o.
this county, seeks to recover for The
individual grant claimants every foo
of land within its exterior boundar
les. The people have not yet for
gotten the excitement occaSloned
when it was learned that even the
town property was coveted by him,
and that each citizen, whose title to-
his town lot and home was as secnr'
as any title could be, would never
theIess be required to employ coun-
sci and take upon himself the burden
of defending it against this unwars
ranted attack. From the operation
of this suit Mr.. Millheiser has siren
uously refused to exempt or except a
single foot of property, notwlth'
standing the repeated entreatlrs
made to have him do so.
1t seems strange, then, that one
who has the welfare of the town al
heart, and is really it's friend, as
"Citizen" would have us believe,
could at the same time urge the peo'
pie If the town to fall into the arms
of this enemy by accepting and car
ryiug out the plan that he suggests.
We can not but believe that if "Cili-
zen" had signed his name to the
communication, we would readily
discover something wrong in his
composition, either by his owning
an interest in the grant and claiming
under the individual grantees, or
some Interior purpose to be subserved
in comm, ction with Mr.. Millheiser.
1t would, indeed, he a great pity
that the order of things should be
changed; that the custom OF few
men owning the whole territory
should be broken in upon by "the
government doing out TO settlers
one hundred and sixty acre tracts"
Ii would be so much better TO par
Gel this princely domain out among
a select few, the few being promi
ncnt citizens and, therefore, 80 much
better than the poor settler. The
few, too, by making cattle ranches
about the town, aud holding their in
terest at extravagant prices would
no doubt, in the estimation Of "Ciu-I
zen" contribute much more Ia the
prosperity of the town than the set
tier upon hundred aud -ixly acres.
liz argument is but the old idea that
ths good things OF this world are L. b.
divided up among a very few, aud
the balance deprived of them ALTO
0Ah%.