Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-10-01
RI DAILY OPTIC.
East Las Vegas, New Mexico.
SAN MIGUEL COUNTY.
The first ofa series OF Letters on
Agricultural and HorticuI-
tural Subjects.
written for TIE orrIo.l

work OF summer on the ramon Is nea
ing it, close, aud 1 can fulfill my Ion
delayed promise OF sending you som
correspondence. Herewith l mail yo'
the first Of the series.
AS a uparabundance OF politics
letters are apt to be showered from a
sides upon your esteemed journal,
prefer TO devote these correspondence
mainly, If not always exclusively
to a discussion OF topic
more congenial to my taste
than political matters or loca
go sip; namely, agricultural and hor
tic -itural subjects.
/ am one Of the men, now fast de
or. aiug IN numbers, who cast theil
first vote in 1856, for the Pathfinder.
aud who enlisted early 10 1861, In d..
tense Of our m hher, native or adopted
-the great American republic. La
those old days of yore, | was an ardent
parry man and politician, and filed
number of offices, either elective or by
appointment; including some in the
gift of the president, but nowadays,
my interest in politics is 80 small that
all 1t can induce me TO do, is barely to
go the polls and deposit my vote.
We're IL not from a sense VI civic duty,
l sh auld not even 60 to that trouble,
cui bono in New Mexico and in all
places, 10 our Territorial capital, I'M
less one manages to get in the swim,
with the ring. or the push, or what
ever il IS called
Let the 1C0, 900 new settlers, who
according to the statement of our en-
thusiastic young governor, 10 his mes
sage, have taken up their abodes In our
Territory since the last census was
made, take up the good fight, 10 place
OF us old stagers, aud make New Next
CO the great common wealth it ought
to be politically, socially, financially,
commercially, and in other ways,
among the grand galaxy Of American
states.
From the tenor of my foregoing re-
marks, Mr.. Editor, you may infer that
our lutte tempests In a teapot disturb
the %equanimiIy Of your correspondent
but to q very slight degree and that
such absorbing questions. for instance,
as the great case of Clark vs. Bergman
in the superintendency of our Territor-
ial tree boarding house, leave me- en-
tireiy unmoved.
am not so certain that the so-called
civil service system, will, II once u
fully established institution in America,
prove such an unmitigated blessing to
institutions as its adherents
hold it out to be. In a monarchy
such a caste, or class, Of irremovable
fuDctionaries may be necessary
to he stability of the government; but
10 a perfect republic, each citizen ougbl
to be capable md competent to fill any
Office or public position be is called
upon to administer; and the fact that
I'D incumbent has done well IN his
position, is no reason why it cannot be
managed equally as acceptably by his
successor.
| cannot see, therefore, why q Ter
governor, who has not the
twentieth or even the fftieth part OF
the appointments to give away that the
mayors. If sven our second or third
cities have, should incur blame
for app iin,ing men with whom he IL
personally acquainted, aud 10 whom he
confluence, to POSITIONS of trust
connected with the success OF
his ~gubernatorial ad ADMINISTRATION. Both
the gentlemen referred to here, are &C.
cording to the general opinion of the
public, honest, capable and well quail
flied and personally your correspondent
has no choice between one or the other
AS | have had occasion to refer to
our new governor, | trust that II
speak favorably of him, l shall not lay
myself open to the charge Of being
biased in his favor, if / cay that l have
never formed his personal acquaintance
and am not an applicant tor office.
From all reports that have reached me,
and not from my owu personal obser-
vatioD, rs | have never met him, | am
happy to be able to state to his former
of Las V gas, that during
the time OF his short stay 10 the capital,
e vernon Otero has acquired the good
va va III OARNcVos II va u OitiATd5
generally, by his pleasing manners and
undertaking off ,bility and courtesy as a
gen leman and in a social way For
already stated, | do not speak
him polincaIly.
The fruit exhibition recently held
here under the auspices Of che horti.
ural society, proved, as 1t could not
help doing. uDder the lead of eminent,
practical and scientific pomologists,
such az its president, Judge Prince,
DE-. Hsrroun. Elk Attorney General
and last, not least, the Sec
rotary, Mr.. Curran, the Photographic
artist of Santa Fe-a great SUCCESS in
demonstrating the superior Adaptable
ity OF he climate and soil Of this valley
for growing The finest imaginable fruits,
fruit equal in brauty of appearances and
size, and d. cided'y sup .rior In filvJr
and quality, to the same varieties
grown in California. The only regret
/ may -xpress. is that these fruits could
be exhibited in a great eastern city,
IN Chicago, S.. Louis. or another one
of the great fruit markets, where such
an exhibition would have advertised
our fruits TO some purpose Our clti-
gems and merchants are already 80 we'll
acquainted with our fruits, that they
zee nothing new when they behold
them. and with the assonishingly large
crop of the present season, quantities
Of fine peaches. pears, pinms, etc.,
v hich would bring good prices in the
east, go a begging for a Of pur-
and arr. in many cases. inter-