The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-06-05

49,
they are uniformly eight feet high. One
door and one little window furnish the
ventilation. In these little huts of from
| one to three rooms are frequently found
two or three families of the Mexicans of
lower classes. The furnishings are the
| simplest, possibly not ten dollars worth
| of furniture in the entire house. The
| beds consist of little cots that are placed
down alongside the walls at nights
| Where the families dwell thus together,
they are close kin. 1t seems the custom
when the daughter marries for the SON
| in-law to move into the house with her
parents, and here 1t is that the families
grow up together to the third and fourth
generations. Generally this class of the
Mexican is very indolent fellow, work
| ing just enough to earn his very scant
| living. This generally consists of a little
goat meat cooked up with red pepper and
corn meal.
But this is only the lower class of the
Las Vegas citizen that is here pictured.
There are many just as cultured folk
here as one can find back in the states.
but very few of these are natives. Prac-
tically all of them have come from the
states, and 1t is a God-send to the ma
tives that they are here. Under their
guidance New Mexico is fast forging to
the front in civilization, and ere long will
be ready for statehood.
| Whea the Santa Fe railroad built its
| line through the territory in 1879, Las
Vegas took on new life and the outcome
| was the building of what is now known
as the City of East Las Vegas This is
| in every way a modern little town of
pretty pressed brick business houses,
beautiful modern residences, school and
/ yNtth build hot in
southern towns of equal size, and good
| sidewalks of cement and stone. The two
| towns are supposed to have population
! of about ten thousand, including ninety
six negroes, about seventeen Cinnamon,
! seven Japanese and the remainder about
| half and half between the Mexicans and
| Americans.
Just what supports this town 1t is
=, rather difficult for the stranger to SEQ
| and understand There is nothing in
! sight except dry deserts and the mountain
ranges but everybody seems to live very
| well, some very neat fortunes having
been accumulated here. The health
! seekers from the states contribute very
largely TO the revenues for the trade.
] All of the necessaries of life are very
high caused principally by the high
freights. Kansas City Is the nearest
market for the town, but this is nearly
one thousand miles distant and with a
single line of railway, rates are none too
cheap.
| Las Vegas is wide OPEN town. Sa-
looms and gambling houses never close.
but with all this openness, it is doubtful
! If there can be found more law-abiding
and orderly town of equal size In the
states. Roulette tables dice tables, card
| tables and almost any other form of
gambling is licensed here, and every bar
room has several tables In operation.
| They are perfectly open, no screens or
blinds. Other towns In the territory are
| just as open as this one, and so over
whelming seems the sentiment for this
| licensed gambling until there is no effort
! to put it down.
Birmingham has long "cussed" about
| the Dust Devil" but the citizens of
| that city do not know how they are bless
ed in comparison with these western
! towns. Residents here do not really boast
| Of but one thng-climate, a fine, pure
atmosphere. This they have alright, but
the dust 1t has been just eleven months
since they have had a rain of consequence
here and during the dry season the wind
blows with great velocity from about
noon until the sets behind the noun
tains. During the afternoons 1t is fire.
quently so blustry as to prevent pedes-
trains venturing out more than they
are forced to do. Alkali In the soil makes
the dust very annoying to the eye.
1t has been stated that the chief re-
suorces of New Mexico are climate, ag-
riculture, opportunities for investment,
stock raising, numbering and mining but
they are really almost confined to climate
and stock raising. The climate is that
which the stranger has greatest diff
ficulty in comprehending. The territory
is placed by geographical location well
down amongst the gulf states, the lati-
tude of Las Vegas being the same as
Memphis. The southern portion Of the
territory extends to the southern latitude
equal with the states where roses bloom
in the gardens during December and
spring has already begun by the close
of February. On the other hand. the
great plateaus, of which the territory
consists, averaging a mile or more In al
| titude above sea level, would give
| climate with all the rigors of the grim
| New England coast. And yet New Mex
| leo has neither the. long, enervating. re-