Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-03-22
What Is the Matter with Santa Fe?

Santa Fe is all right" is the opinion
of most of it's citizens. To a certain ex-
tent that is so; there is no ground for
pessimism, no need to fear that the city
will go backward or to the dogs. Santa
Fe surely has age sufficient to make it
a city of stability; it is the seat of gov
eminent for Uncle Sans most magniti-
cent territory that will soon be a state,
and not the least, either, in the family
of states; it is the center of federal au-
bishops see: two railroads terminate at
Santa Fe; the city boasts of great fed
eral, territorial, religious, charitable
and other schools and institutions; the
progressive; around about are rich min
ing districts: above all, the climate Of
Santa Fe is the finest in the world, and
will in time draw thousands of invalids
to his section. There are many other
advantages we'll known to residents of
the city, but unfortunately not well
enough known beyond the city's pound
aries. Yet Santa Fe and it's people are
satisfied with their city and with them
selves.
But that is just what is the matter
with Santa Fe. A satisfied man never
| becomes a Napoleon or a Lincoln; a
satisfied people never built a Chicago or
a San Francisco. With it's numerous
| and immense advantages, historical and
| natural, Santa Fe would be the metrop-
| oils of the southwest if it's people were
more dissatisfied and more ambitious.
The business men, professional men
| and property owners of the city should
| reorganize the board of trade or organ
ize a commercial club, whose business it
should be to act with the bureau of i'm
| migration. to let the world know of the
| advantages, Chronological, industrial,
commercial and otherwise, of the terri
tory, and especially of this section. San
| ia Fe needs more chimneys, it needs
| more rails, it needs more advertising
| In this county could be manufactured
to advantage many of the articles
| which are now imported to New Mexico
| and Arizona from the east. At Santa
| Fe should be a wooden mill, a pottery,
cannery, sugar refineries, a soap fac
| tory, a tannery, and other mills and
| factories for which the surrounding ter
| ritory would supply the coal, the raW
material and the cheap labor. Santa Fe
| should be a railroad center. 1t should
be a health resort greater and as ia
nous as Colorado Springs. 1t should be
one of the leading commercial cities of
| the southwest, to which the people
| would come to buy and to sell. The city
could have annual exhibitions if it's cit
liens We're of the same mettle as the
citizens of young Chicago.
1t will take time and work to accom-
plish the results indicated, but they are
ing the city and it's resources through
out the world, by looking up idle CAPT
tai and interesting it in this section, and
by persuading home capital to do some
thing for the city, the essential steps
toward future growth and prosperity
will have been taken.
The United States stands at the
threshold of a period Of unparalleled
prosperity. The successful war with
Spain, the wise administration of the
party in power, have brought about a
return of general prosperity in COM
mercial, manufacturing, mining and ag-
ricultural circles. Every nook and cor
ner of this great and glorious country is
feeling the thrill of renewed energy, and
the pulse of industry is again beating
with life and hope. The undeveloped
sections of the southwest will benefit
more than any other part of the u
try by the renewed confidence of capt.
tai, by the great flood of prosperity that
has set in. The mex few years will wit
ness miracles in this territory, and the
fruits of the work of the immigration
bureau of the territory will be reaped.
Settlers will come by the hundreds, fac
tories will be built, railroads will be
multiplied, new mines will be opened,
the arid lands will be redeemed by irri-
cation, invalids from all over the world
will come here to build homes for them
selves, new towns and cities will be
founded, and the older cities will grow
swiftly in population and wealth. The
next ten years will place New Mexico
aside if not ahead of Colorado. For
Santa Fe the main question will be to
secure it's share of this prosperity, of
this renaissance of every branch of in
dustry. Shall it all go to other cities?
Unless a beginning is made now Santa
Fe will never again be in position to
keep up with or forge ahead Of those
cities. We know that the city's leading
citizens are as public spirited, as pro-
gressive as any in the territory, and
that they only need the stimulus of
united action, well directed by compe-
tent leadership, to secure for Santa Fe
the capital, the energy to awaken 1t
from it's self-satisfied lethargy and it's
dreams of the historic past.
Has slandered the Legislature.
(Albuuleruue CitizenO