Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1905-08-12
WILLIAM E. CURTIS
ON ALBUQUERQUE
Metropolis Of the Territory Is Live and Modern
and Supported by Biz AFea--ThlnkS the
Lumber Mills Are Wonderful.
~ WILLIAM e. CURTIS
Especial Correspondence OF the Chi.
cago RocOrd.Hernldl

AtNNNNfiNh|f ~ Mf"-N AANWNHNANN' u.
a fine town, scusln the dust There
IA great activity IN real estate after
n O'Clock In the mornlLg. when the
wind comes up aud blows across the
mcsas. Il 10 an amiablo and kindly
wind. cool and refreshing, and o bles.
sing which cannot be over. estimated.
but Il has ils drawbacks. u s,irs up
the top soil and throws II into your
face, eyes and nOstrila. The dust set.
ties on the membranes OF your throat
and makes you very thirsty. sup
pose that 20 one reason why there are
30 many saloons In Albuquerque. The
most conspicuous and expensive loca'
lions IN the business district seem 10
BE- occupied for that kind Of business
and by gambling dens.
During the past four or Ave years
there has been a remarkable moral
reform throughout the western coun.
try. particularly IN Texas and the
northwestern states. which are get.
ting 20 be as strict--as puritanical,
some people call lt--as New England.
but down this way everything re-
mains Wide open, and the wages OF
the workinFmen the miners. sheep
herders railroad hands. clerks and
boOk.kcepers are lost over the gam
bling tables instead Of hclng depos.
Tied IN savings banks. The city ON.
cials permit g. The m0at conspicuous
places upon the principal street Of
Albuquerque are gambling bells. vita
big electric signs aud wide open doors
and everybody who has a penny, young
or old, drunk Or sober, Is allowed to
play. There Is no restriction. what.
ever. A stack OF faro chips can be
purchased at any hour-day or night
Ia easily as a newspaper or cigar.
looked in at three or four of the
principal "holls." They we're filled
with men OF all ages and all condi.
tions In life. sitting around roulette
and faro tables, with their coats on
steaming with Precipitation and ex.
citemeni. ono would think that the
merchants and other business men OF
Albuquerque would stop this, because
II deprives them OF legitimate trade.
without regard to the moral question
involved and the temptations TO dis.
honest employees. II IL simple husf-
ness proposition. Most OF the money
that IL lost In those gambling hells
would otherwise be expended for food
and clothing, or deposited In the
hanks. The keeper OF one OF them,
am told, ranks among the richest men
IN the town and is one OF the largest
real estate holders
This problem has been perplexing
other towns besides Albuquerque, and
IN Texas and the northwestern states
as ! have said, the people have at
last come TO the conclusion that
wide open" towns do not pay /
met 4 gentleman from Doadwood the
other Gay, who told me that all the
gambling dens there have been shut
up and that now. after thirty years
OF unrestricted play, Deadwood Ia a
closed town. Not even q slot ma.
chine nor one Of those automatic
games that you can see In every bar
room and cigar stNro down here, -
allowed, and the pohce are watching
the hotels for private games Of poker.
For a quarter OF century Doau.
wood had the largest and best CON
Quoted gambling rooms la the cOun-
Try Il had been a small Monte Carlo
Every game was wide open and there
were eight or ten houses patronizud
by different classes 81 people, which
paid licenses to the city. The munich.
pay government was practically sup
ported by the gamblers and the sa-
looms. the revenue from those sources
being between $4,000 and $4,000 a
year ny friend tells me that between
seventy and eighty professional gam
biers we've employed In these ostab-
llahmepts 20 run the games, and that
the combined pay rolls amounted 10
between $4,000 and $4,000 q month
But now everything r. closed tight,
and Il was done by a committee OF
citizens, who came 90 the conclusion
that gambling was bad thing for the
town. For a long time the contrary
opinion prevailed. Il was believed 20
be a good thing 20 have the gambling
houses open. People thought Il made
things lively and attracted money and
trade TO the town. That Is the story
they tell you in Albuquerque. You
hear the same tale Ia every wide open
town, A MuskOgoo, !. r.. several
people asserted that the prohibition
regulations were killing the town. The
people of DoadWOod, however. came 10
different conclusion, ana nov the
merchants expect that much OF the
money which formerly went over the
gambling tables viii so over their
counters instead.
Many Of the people OF Alhuquer.
que do not Ike the name OF tho town.
~ Is awkward and foreign and they
often get letters from people In the
east, which show an amazing amount
OF Ignorance ana wound their vanity.
Men OF Intelligence aud education
write 20 the banks ana newspapers
ana ofhclals out here. inquirlnF what
language Is spoken ln Albuquerque
and what Kind OF money IL uged
what customs dues are charged and
whether tie laws are sufficient for
the safety Of life and property. Tho
inhabitants would like 10 change the
ZANE OF the territory. too. That Is
one OF the groatesi Inducements for
joint statehood with Arizona. Then
every body WOald know that this was
part OF America and albuquerque
wonld not object 90 having tho cap.
hal OF the new state located here. II
is already the metropolis OF New
Mexico, and probably has larger
population than any other city Ia the
two territories.
According 10 tho census of 1900
there we're only 6.326 hoIe at that
time but Il Us claimed that the
enumeration was imperfect and that
incompetent men were employed 10
DO inc counting, aud that at least ono.
thifd of me population was MISSED
Ihere are two towns, Old Alhuquor
que which dates back 20 the time of
we spanish occupation and 81 en-