The Alamogordo news. (Alamogordo, N.M.) 1899-1912, 1900-09-20

ual Office seekers, and yet, he felt at
heart that II would be difficult to better
the condition. The only trouble with
the officials has been that the business
was new to them all, and they were con-
scientlOus, honest Office holders rather
than politicians and they may have been
imposed on at times, and unquestiona-
bly, have made political mistakes that
would not be cOuntenanced in older
counties where the struggle for suprem-
acy meant the gathering of all possible
strength and the laying aside of person
al ambitions.
IN OTHER WALKS OF LIFE.
The disposition shown by the man
who attempted to make political capital
out Of the county printing has been lib
orally evidenced by others in previous
matters and is regarded as the curse of
Otero county.
From the time the county was first
organized down to the present there has
been an inclination on the part Of a
number Of residents to retard progress
sion and tear down all attempts to con-
cert upbuilding. First the Eddys, then
the companies, and later, with shameless
persistency, the characters and business
of progressive individuals were attacked
by these jealous human vultures. Their
trail of treachery is visible from the
back rooms of Alamogordo to the pigeon
No man has been safe from their slurS
and SANDER, and many who were anx-
ious to remain obscure from public and
social gaze have been forced to see the
sanctity of their homes invaded and
their private lives paraded before So
ciety by hide-bound fanatics whose
crooked, lying tongues are capable of
distorting fact to hdeOus unreality. No
man in the employ of the companies has
felt but what his tenure of Office de-
pended alone on the good will of some
malicious-minded, tattling ,exaggerating
he-devil or she-devil with ''pull" back
East A few of the liberal minded fell
lows, who disregarded all cliques and
factions and clung to their manhood
have remained, but not many. What
has been the result? Many have moved
their families away rather than see them
continually embroied in the cataclysm
of social scandal Because of the fear
of losing patronage and the uncertain
friendship of those with "pull, many
have declined to invest in anything that
ing has succeeded during the past year.
Clubs and associations founded to pro-
mote the public veal have gone by the
board, the victims of the croaker and
scandal-monger. Strangers coming to
town have been scared away by the dis
NAL predictions of the calamity howIers
Business men with money invested have
cancelled contracts for the purchase Of
town property and now doggedly guard
their business interests and think:
''rend me, you Internal buzzards, if you
cant" Every progressive man is dis
gusted with the state of affairs, and yet
is afraid to be liberal because he may be
taken advantage of. The condition pre-
vailing in society and business finds a
similitude in politics. Here it is not
politics--it is slander, lying, deceit and
trickery-and an honorable man in
seeking to serve the public permits dem
ocratic and republican scOundrels to use
his good name for foot ball. Alamo
gordo's grave yard of public works now
contains commercial club, commun-
lty fountain, an artesian well, number
of business houses, acres of fruit land
and many small manufacturing enter
prise, and their head stones have been
etched by the barbed tongue Of devilish
envy. Unless change is wrought soon
and the dog-in-the-manger plan which
has proved so detrimental to the town /:
succeeded by broader policy in polite:
the cemetary will have new monument
this fall and it will be inscribed: IRE
publican party Of Otero county"
LOOKING BACKWARD.
Those who came to AlamOgordo II
the spring of 1869 have something to re
feet on now, and their reminiscence.
give evidence Of a remarkable change
In the social, religious, business and po
litical cast of the community. Then al
the district north of the hotel was
stretch of barren sage brush plain ap
parently not worth the trouble to re
claim 1t. But the town had something
at the time that was even better thai
fertile land-it possessed baud of en-
ergetic, wide-awake citizens, all pullinJ
In unison for the best interests of tn
place. Then the rotund form Of genia
Colonel Harvey (Alamogordo owes hin
} debt OF gratitude that 1t can neve
I repay was visible IN the steps of tn
hotel and hearty greeting was give
that made the tired, dusty traveller fee
I that It was a pleasure to be here In tn
& society of white" people even thoug
I the trip had been tiresome and disagree
able. In the evening "the boys" woul
congregate In the hotel or rotunda an
6 make the acquaintance of the strange
Y and tell him OF the wonderful possbil
q ties OF AlamOgordO and of Otero count,
Projected improvements were dlscusse
and II the newcomer vert to bed wit
" Ihe impression that AlamogordO wa
# destined to have less than 5000 peopI
in year he was totally devoid of ina,
ination. Perhaps a dsagreeabe du,