Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-07-25
POLITICS IN
coLFAx COUNTY
There is No Rush for Office as Yet but
Candidates Are Quietly Coming from
Under Cover in Both
Parties.
TWO NEW TOWNS AND DRILLING FOR
OIL NOT FAR FROM RATION
Special Correspondence New Mexican.
Ratnn N M. July "a, 1902.

Ration, n. M, July "a, 1902.
Politics in Colfax county are not very
warm. Aspirants for political ravors
seem to be extremely shy of coming out
in the open and telling the dear public
what they want. So far only one
avowed candidate has come to the
front and he is w. G. Barnes of Dor
sey, who served as assemblyman two
years ago. Mr.. Barnes openly says he
wants to go again nd isn't ashar'ed to
admit ii either.
OF course the two important offices OF
sheriff and county treasurer will have
no trouble in finding some one to stand
up and make the fight. Among the Re-
publicans genial Harry Brainard, now
county commissioner, is looked upon
as very strong man for the sheriff s
place. Harry is popular with every
body and has his eye on the indicator.
Marion Littrell too is talked of for the
sheriff's place on the Republican tic
ket That he would draw out his full
party strength goes without saying,
and the cattlemen would especially be
county. Among the candidates for
treasurer I hear Gus. Dawson's name
mentioned often, while it is talked on
the street that Joseph Bracket would
like to be county clerk.
When Manley Dawson, the present
clerk, announced that owing to his po-
sition in the Citizens National bank,
he would not again be candidate for
the place, the Democrats lost their
strongest man, for Manley is probably
the most popular young man in the
Democratic lines today. ! doubt if ev
er there was a more satisfactory clerk
in Colfax county than Manley Dawson.
l have understood that Mr.. Burnam,
the present Democratic treasurer,
would again be an applicant for the Of
flee. He has held the office twice and
the impression seems to be general that
a new man will get the place.
So far no candidate for council has
county's time this year to name the
man. I heard that Olin E. Smith of
Clayton, would be the Democratic
nominee. If he is, the Republicans will
"have to hurry to get a man to beat
him, for Smith is popular man and an
everlasting hustler. to boot.
Things are booming over here. No
sooner has the Rock Island built it's
branch to Dawson TO open up the coal
beds there, than the Santa Fe starts a
branch of its own. This new line is al
most ten miles long, leaves the main
line at q station known as Hebron,
about IA miles south of Ration, runs
west up a canon known as Willow cam
on, where the Ration Coal and Coke
Company is opening up an immense
coal mine. I understand they will en-
ploy 1000 men when the mine is fully
opened. The coal is most excellent coal
both for coking and steam. Huge coke
ovens will be built at Hebron and
doubtless a brisk little town will grow
up both at Hebron and Willow City as
the mining camp is being called. All
this adds to the taxable wealth and re-
sources of Colfax county and if we
are not the second richest county in
New Mexico inside of two years, miss
my guess.
No rain to amount to much yet. Only
n cI, poip ;S, IoI I1xr
needed all over Colfax both for grass
and water. No such dry period has
been known since 1888, so all the old
timers say. Cattle however have lived
and done fairly we'll and if rains come
soon we will be saved.
The oil drill east of town is still
pounding away in slate. Goes down
100 feet every "a hours. Down now
about 1000 feet. Work never ceases
day or night and the indications for oil
are fine. When the baler comes up the
air is heavy with the odor of gas. AL
most enough to ignite at a match
while I noticed when the water settled
after the baler was dumped that there
was a scum of oil all over the water OF
a dark brown color and unmistably oil
of that there is no question. The place
is being viewed by hundreds of people
being close to town, and it is certainly
| a most interesting sight to one who has
| never seen the operation of drilling fol
| OIL They expect to get through the
slate at about 1000 feet and then oil
Well, "quien sabe''