Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-11-16
M8M, E|W 4#@ ~ =. ~ II
a KNOCK ON ~KNockER"

@NAM 49, - - WA
cinsaons o. NE gentleman who hal
Tire courage So cha" = F'e~s<a hIns If
~ IL knocker IN al article which Le
Contributed To T'se Optic. The night
sefere last. thers are yet tao al tatee
&C 10 Deduction that are worth, nj
commentator. ~
'hnockeF" In doubtless turrect
wren he says t.'at the building q.
railroads through tsFrigo!'v formerly
I'll! uiary 70 LIS Vegas had some ef.
feft In creating Temporary .."pycss.
Ion. He In Understandable light wien
he declares that u cause Of business
depression IN the unjust and dlncrim-
ating rates charged by the Santa Fe
system.
Also "Knocker" cannot be far
astray when he points out as q means
OF lettering existing conditions the
importance Of the settlement Of the
vacant lands On the Las Vegas grant
and taking Of steps toward the secur.
Ing OF n reduction OF the unjust
freight rates o charged TO and
from Las Vegas.
80 far NJ good, Mr.. Rnocksr. but
there are a number Of suitable asser,
lions. choice i%nsInuations and
sprightly inuendos Ia tho article In
question which We cannot 50 heartily
commend. In tho first place. the ut.
terances nj the Commercial club.
which were 80 naiveIy and elegant,
characterized as wind tanning
were. doubtless, quite as sincere m
anything penned by "Knocker." The
club speakers did not agree with each
other In every respect. In fact. they,
nj times. became rather caioric IN
their disagreement. but that they be.
heved what they said must have been
apparent 10 everyone present, due nj.
iowance and exception being made
10 Mr. Knocker.
III any proposition for the reform
OF q city or state or nation In sur.
gested. there are always those who
VIII tell you that present conditions
w uttltlNus CIHUuDnNlNm
was not invented by the late Senator
Hanna. II has been the motto of those
who opposed progress almost since
the world began. And because for
twenty-five years there has been an
unsatisfactory condition I'm Las We.
gas. and disunion and failure to work
together to a common purpose have
been apparent. "Knoeker" assever.
ates that the hope OF replacing dis.
union by union aud cooperation Is az
futile az the evanescent hopes of
an impossible dream" whatever I'm.
der the light of the canopy that may
mean.
The musty records Of the past re-
veal that centuries before our @
iishtened times. the seemingly inn
possible has been accomplished and
the lion and the lamb have lain down
together. I'm these piping times the
much overtouted savage beast and
the timid lambkin have frequently
developed a sentiment of bon camar-
aderie that David and Jonathan could
not equal. That lion and lamb Illus
tratIon won't work at all.
"Knocker" defines the knocker as
one who expresses opinions different
from u own. He's millions of miles
away. The knocker Is not the man
who differs with us In personal view
and says so; he Is not the man wi"
doesn't happen to appreciate ns and
our particular kind Of genius: he IS
not even the man who says mean
things about his neighbors.
Here Is the definition, and II won't
perhaps do any harm II a few ut
Knockers" sympathizers sit up and
listen:
A RNOCKER rs A MAN WHO
RUNS DOWN HIS OWN TOWN.
Now. IL the "Knocker' should
speak with the tongue Of men and OF
angels, he couldn't convince a great
many Las vegans that the sort OF
chap just described isn't a drawback
to any community. Las Vegas hasn't
many such and the few left are being
lsnanurauad