Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-01-16
ANENT DIVISION
OF SAN MIGUEL
Views of Council
man-Elect J. S.
Duncan
EXPLAINS THE SITUATION
Gives Reasons for PROPOSE.
tion---Two Counties
Demanded.

VIII San Miguel County be divided
and new county created of one-hal
at the coming session of the Thirty
seventh Legislative Assembly? Tha
is a question that is agitating the
minds Of the inhabitants of the coun
! ty and especially the citizens of thC
rival towns of Las Vegas and Eas
Las Vegas.
Hon. James S. Duncan. of East Las
Vegas, president OF the Territorial
Board Of Equalization, and a mem
ber-elect of the Legislative Council
is an ardent champion of The division
proposition. He says that the senti
ment of most Of the people on the
east side of the Gall.nas River which
Is proposed as the boundary of the
new counties is in favor of the plan
irrespective Of birth.
In Las Vegas proper or old town
| he declares that the fight against the
division of the county is being made
principally by few politicians whose
source of revenue might suffer.
He says that those who are most
active in the opposition are attempt
ing to make the race question an is
sue against the proposed new county
but he states that he has personal
knowledge that the majority of the
native people residing east of the riv-
or are heartily in favor of the divi-
sion.
Mr.. Duncan is one of the largest
tax payers of East Las Vegas. To
New Mexican reporter this morning
he gave number of reasons why the
county should be divided, and called
attention to the fact that thirteen new
counties had been created within the
past few years in New Mexico with
beneficial rather than detrimental ef-
lects, He said
Cites Other Counties Created.
in the past few years the Terrific
rial Legislatures has created thirteen
new counties. Only few years ago
the people living in the western part
of Rio Arriba County requested the
Legislature to cut off a portion of the
county and create new one. San
Juan County is the result. Since
then the residents of what are now
Mckinley. Union, Eddy, Chaves, Sier-
ra, Guadalupe, Otero, Quay, Roose-
velt, Luna, Sandoval and Torrance
Counties have petitioned and had Gre
1ted the above named counties. In
each instance the people of the mother
county have protested, deluged the
Legislature with petitions and spent
large sums of money to prevent the di.
vision. In each instance they have
declared that the creation of the new
county meant bankruptcy for both
The old and the new but in every
case the reverse has proven true.
Every one who is cOnversant with
The recent history of New Mexico is
aware of the fact that the smaller
are more economically ad-
than the larger ones, and
that the new counties with a small
area are in better financial condition
han the large ones.
County Larger Than Some States.
"The present county of San Miguel
IS larger than several of the New Eng
and states comprising as it does
about 4,50O square miles. The total
assessed valuation of the county at
present is $4 ,049,000 The city of Las
Vegas is one mile square and the as.
'essed valuation of it is $1,215,000, or
ibout thirty per cent of the valuation |
If the entire county. Of the taxes ac-
ually collected the city of Las Vegas
bays SO per cent as against 3S per
'ent paid by the balance of the
county.
Now to the average man this shows
hat there is something radically
wrong. 1T shows that the people of
.lle city of Las Vegas pay their taxes
md that the people living outside. are
argely exempt from paying theirs.
Bonded Indebtedness of County.
"The present bonded Indebtedness
# San Miguel County is s4S6,5OO and
he rate of taxation is about 6 per
emit Still not a cent of the bonded
is being paid or a sink
ng fund created tostake care of this
normous debt.
THAT the questions at issue are ap-
roved by the people living outside
he city of Las Vegas is evidenced by
he fact that a large majority of the
ative people living in the northeast
rn portion of the county are heartily
! favor of the division and are work
lg earnestly to bring it about.
"There is another reason why the
usiness men of the city demand re-
eff. I refer to the postoffice situation.
he railway station, express, tele-
raph and telephone Offices are named !
Jas Vegas and the postoffice East
as Vegas 1t is impossible for the
rsiness men to get their mail prop.
ly addressed. The result is there
'e more than one thousand pieces of
isdirected mail going to the old town /
ally to the great loss of the business t
terests of the east side. s
Two Towns Distinct Municipalities. a
This condition can not be longer {
'lerated. A prominent official of a