Albuquerque morning journal., 1907-01-17
COUNTY IS
BACKEDBYSTRONG
supp ORTERS

should no longer be required TO con- /
tribute heavily to the support of Eddy
county and Chaves county, under a
high tax rate, without deriving any
of the benefits of such support. They
know that they have the taxable prop
erty to support new county from the
very beginning. and this without seri-
ously embarrassing the finances of the
Two counties from which Artesia
county iseto be created.
This, briefly, is the case of the pro-
posed new county of Artesia, which
the legislature is to be asked to create,
as stated to the Morning Journal by
Gayle Talbot, of Artesia. who was in
Albuquerque Wednesday, as the guest
of Cashier ]. b. Herndon. of the State
National bank. Mr.. Talbot was the
founder of the Artesia Advocate,
weekly newspaper which is still flour
ishing in the Pecos valley town, al
though Mr.. Talbot has now turned his
attention to farming and the develop
ment of the Artesian belt of which his
home town is the center.
Mr.. Talbot has been in Santa Fe for
several days in the interest of Artesia
county. He and several associates
propose to remain in the capital for
some time following the convening of
the legislature, or until favorable ac-
tion upon the county division plan is
secured
It is proposed to create the new
county of Artesia from portions OF
Eddy county on the south and Chaves
county on the north taking about
twenty-four miles off of the north OF
Eddy county and some six miles off
the south of Chaves county. the lines
extending from the border on the east
to the Otero county line on the west;
making a county about thirty miles
from north to south and 1873 miles
from east to west. its lines straight,
with Artesia as the geographical CEN
ter of the division. Artesia, of course.
is advanced as the county seat. The
county as proposed would include
considerable portion of the artesian
belt, of which Artesia is the center, the
Lake Arthur 2recinct of Chaves
county, and the Dayton, Lakewood and
Hope precincts of Eddy county
Opposition of Old Counties.
Two years ago the people of the
Artesia district went before the legis-
lature with 9 request for the creation
of the new county as proposed.
These influences still exist. In
Chaves county certain politicians are
understood to be lined uD solidly
against the division, and the same con-
dition is said to be true in Eddy
county, the opposition coming from
politicians and officeholders in Ros-
well and Carlsbad This opposition is
backed By a considerable portion of
the business element of the two towns,
upon the ground that the new county
would cut off a considerable portion of
the taxable property Of each county.
The further objection is made by the
opposition that the promoters of the
new county are politicians and real
estate boomers who are aiming solely
at selfish ends.
Strong Arguments for Artcsia.
These objections are met by the adj
vocates of the new county in a very
convincing manner. Mr.. Talbot is one
of the most ardent of these advocates.
He backs his claims for the new
county with facts and figures which
are convincing
1T is being said that we are after
this new county in the interest of poll
tcians and rea! estate sharks" said
Mr. Talbot Yesterday. II want to say
right now that there is not single
man in the lines of the proposed new
county who expects to derive any per-
s0nal benefit from it's creation. above
what is gained by his neighbor
There Is not a politician connected
with the movement, nor is II a scheme
of real estate sharks 1t Is simply :
demand from the people of the pro
posed county that they be allowed tC
govern themselves; knowing that they
have the ability and the wealth to dc
so; that they be given an opportunity
to cut down an eXOrbitant tax rate
that they be not required to contribute
extrayagant sums to the salaries o
county officials such as are now be
ing paid in Eddy county and of whicl
the Artesia district pays more THAI
40 aer cent.
"Our tax rate in Eddy county a
pesent is about Sc on the hundred ant
our property is returned at a highe
assessment rate than that of any othe
county in the territory. Under the nev
county, and we can prove this by of
fetal records and figures, our ia,
rate, for an entirely self-supportin;
county would not exceed $1.25 pc
hundred for county purposes. In spit
of the high rates we pay at present w
cannot secure the construction o
bridges in our part of the county
People in the southwestern Dart o
Eddy county have to travel far int
Texas to trade, while others have T.
make the long journey to Roswell
I'VE are in a position to demon
strate clearly our ability to start tn
new county upon an absolutely self
supporting basis and at the same tim
to leave the old counties an ample as
sessed valuat tion. The assessed valua
tion Of Eddy county for 1906 is 50,
154,604. The assessed valuation O
those precincts of Eddy county whic
it is proposed to incorporate into Al
tesla county. is $S35.372 This woul
leave in Eddy county an assessed val
uation of $L319,232.
"The assessed valuation of Chave
county for 1906 is S3.25S,2G5. TIL
assessed valuation of those precincts @
Chaves county which it Is proposed
incorporate in Artesia county, is 1854
313, leaving Chaves county an assesse
valuation of SS,003,952.
"The assessed valuation of the ne'
county would thus be from the stal
$1.239,695. Upon that valuation tn
proposed county would be cntirel
self-sustaining. A tax of 81 DER $40
on 81 ,239,6S5 would be $l2,396.S5 pc
annum, which is nearly $4,000 a yea
more than Wnuld be necessary to pa
the expenses of the new county w
are now paying s3.72 per 500 in Edd
county of which $40 is for terrtoris
purposes and $2.32 is for county puI
& poses. A county which pays owe
$4,000 and under $4,000 to the tel
ritory per year Is a county classed 9
class ID, Artesia county would pa
between $4,000 and 100000 to tn
territory and would, therefore, com
in class d. Taking the salaries {
county officials as regulated for elias
d. and including interest on the del
which the new county would be re
quIred TO assume. and our county g,
penses would be but S7.66T22. Artt
sia county could be maintained at
less rate than either Chaves or Edd
county, The rate J have indicate