Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-03-19

Very Interesting Reading.
TO the Editor OF the Optic.
Ell PAso, Texas, March 10th, 1897,
1T has been It seems a long time
since our last letter. This Is the day
Of the desire with the man who wantt
an Office. We will say nothing Of the
number Of signatures we were asked
for. They varied from the application
Of the one who would be chief OF the
publicans,t TO the fellow who only wants
to inspect the heather Chinese, those
only to DO admitted over the line,
whose phiz Is like that on the paper he
10 supposed to carry. No other Chinese
need apply. They ara q part of oul
population from abroad, whose pres
epce Is not an unmissed evil. Here IN
FL Paso, they are restaurant and hotel
keepers, some merchants, while OF
course the great majority OF them are
washees, and not q few market gar.
dsners. They are an industrious pco-
pie, II 1t were not for their hop joints,
their dis~Inclination to become identified
with us as permanent citizens, always
having an eye to China for eventual
return. They seldom bury their dead
permanently. As soon AZ they can,
the body Is shipped back to China. We
might suffer them, but
Our county jail is crowded just now.
It Is said there are about eighty in
mates, American and Mexican, nearly
half Of each. They are said to be an
unimpressionable crowd. A kind lady
holds services for them every Sunday
afternoon for nearly an hour. There
are songs, a brief address, q prayer or
two. then good papers are distributed.
I The place rs clean aud we'll kept; of
course, there is no stall feeding; there
ought not TO be; crime should not be
made attractive by too good keep, or
any scamby PANTY, false sentimental
ism. Flowers ought, as a rule, bs rel
egated to join the last rose OF summer
10 the garbage barrel, and daInties are
decidedly out Of place. OF course, OF
many q large number temporarily de-
tanned before q trial is had and sem
tence pronounced, there may be an oc-
casional innocent from abroad. But
many, never. These people are here
for all sorts OF misdemeanors and
crimes. Accused Of traIn-robbing,
jury-6xing or bribing, all sorts OF
larceny, an occasional murder, bigamy,
etc. etc.
The weather Is warmer. Soon the
sombrero of straw will make its uni
versal appearance. With the ladies, he
is almost always in evidence. The
dear creatures have no reason to feel
bad or become heavy-headed al we
poor men; for their hats are evanes-
cent dreams, while ours are dull, heavy,
sombre choking affairs, only varied by
light color In the summer and dark 10
the winter. And then our tiles! The
Germans call them anguish pipes;
we'll named, indeed. Is 1t o wonder so
many men are baldP Il isn't their
wives tempers. 1t is their own fool
ishness. The Mexican man has carried
the hat business TO a climax. He has
nothing IL not q hat. It is not an I'M
common thing to see a mozo, whose
hat evidently costs than all his
other belongings he has about him put
together. And the load of It'll II gives
o . headache to think OF such q
weight.
What with us,is or has been, the poor
farm, and with you the '.Ladies'
Home'', Is now also here appropriately
q county hospital. 1T has been, or will
be, removed within two mileS of the
city, north, in the old hospital of old
Fort Bliss. 1t used 10 be thirteen miles
out east, somewhere near the county
road, and nowhere. 1t was expensive
and futile. Now, IL can be made n
useful institution. Even the hobo is,
a degenerate, yet a human, who
needs medicine, care, shelter, and per-
haps occasionally gets a new start.
Quicker certainly, there, than in lock-
up. Jail or prison. He is an ubiquit- !
Gus specimen of decayed hu humanity.
Found at your back door with q three
days or weeks stubble on his face, and
The accumulated CRIME Of several Sec
lion houses and coal-shutes asking for
/ hand m out, old clothes, or a dime,
With q feeble request for work,few and
lar between. Then you find him de-
,rived Of his liberty, but with a s~atiric-
Il air still putting away atthe diminu-
i've end Of a cigarette, sardonically
Meeting his fate. You will find him
long the highways at the close, where
here was q crowd trying to gather
CIV stray nickels. In short, where will
not find himp Well, hardly ever
{ the -woodpile. II he is there, he is
ot q thoroughbred hobo. yet there is !
ope for him. L
For fear both the editorial scissors
nd the valued, readers Of The OPrIc !
hould find this too long, though 1t IS
long day to us here, when the OPTIC (
ills by some mishap, to find its way :
our house, a thing 1t hardly ever
oes, that is, IL hardly ever fails. we a
i'll chop off short, and say until we !
,me again, adios. OBSERVER.
The council at Santa Fe, :
- w.