Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-03-15

Among the many estimab.e eiti-
gems that the Enterprise has heard
talked OF for mayor are G. II, Hall,
p. ]. Reiiei. J. NJ. Kinney. 4. 5. Beall.
]. Z. Lawson and J. 4. lawson. ID.
w. Barkiey. ~. L. c. Shelton. ".
w. Lance. l.. Il. Feniason aud c. II.
Baldwin. None OF these gentlemen
arc eager for the job as Tar as We
have been able TO interview them. but
. reasonable amount OF urgency from
the right quarter Nigh; induce any
OF them TO change their mind. We
give the lis; as pointer Tor the cont
mittee on municipal ticket.
For aidci men. in addition 10 the
personnel Of the present board, VIC
hear mentioned: Amos. Merk and
Rabcoei in the second ward. John
Ri.ehie. w. c. Seaniand. Clarence
Govreau and +. w. Niche in the
third. and II. J. Sprinkler and Wal
ter HaTdey in the hTsi. And there
arc others.
II VIC cannot make all the first
named gsntlemen mayors there IS
some good timber for aldermen
amongst them. They arc all good
looking. But ie. Us in any case have
a council that Is interested TO do
things. no; an ornamental body.
p. J. Reifel has sat a. tho aldernanic
board for four years past. barrin' q little
vacation ,ha, the courts gave him las.
summer when tho First and Second
Wards seat contest was on. Being told
that he was talked Of for mayor no gen
tly intimassd tha, no hadn't lost any pub
lie Offices. Being further pressed for his
views on tho honors and emoluments Of
public l.fc ho talked rather pcssim!st-
eally. Tho popular Judgment Of . man
who is willing to servo tho town. seems
to b." said Mr.. Reifel. shat u Is simply
an opportunity TO get something for him
self or his friends. You can't hang up
street light. build ditch bridge or oven
put In culvert. without getting some
body's insinuation or cood natared snoor
that you arc doing Il IN tho special in,or-
ost OF yourself or your noSt door neigh
Dor or some personal friend. It may be
intended for .josh' but Il doesn't sit
good. and as a joko i,is In mighty bad taste.
II we wan. conscientious mon to take
hand in public affairs. would rather
work somewhere whore my motives and
my Judgment are not called In question
a.evcry turn. Thank you. | am not 60
ing out soliciting the job OF serving tho
public.
II. w. Lance was approached by
the Enterprise this week on the moot
cd proposition to run him for mayor.
past with matters of city government
and has made one of the best, the
most painstaking alderm-n that has
sat at the board. He would make n
good mayor; but for several reasons
he would have nonc of it at the pres
cnt time.
In the first place, his position of
postmaster prevents him under the
rulings OF the postoffce department
from taking any other. public office
save and excepting of n school di-
rector. In the second place Mrs.
Lance has threatened to apply for a
divorce if he ever goes into the coun-
Gil again. So with the government
Washington "agin" him he respect
fully declines to consider the honor.
On the subject of our Prohibition
polily, Mr.. Lance says he is heartily
in accord with prohibition when It
prohibits, and so long as we have a
council that cnforces the law as well
as the present council has done, he
will give it his unqualified approval.
His first choice for mayor is G. NJ.
Hall. and he expresses the hope that
in any case the friends Of Prohibition
will put UP an energetic body OF al
dermcn and good forceful man for
mayor, making council which will
see to it that we keep all we have
got in the way of law and order and
civic improvements.
G. M. Hall is much talked of man for
mayor. but he has been hiding out in the
cottonwoods along the High Line canal
all week to avoid the committees on
nominations. The fact is G. M. has his
hands full taking care of head gates and
irrigating bitches and making two blades
of alfalfa grow where there was one sage
bush, forty sand burrs and thousand
Russian thistles before. He has boen in
this part Of the Arkansas Valley almost
ever since the first rrigating ditch was
dug and he knows more about our muni-
cpal history and servioe-its manage
ment and mismanagement-tha most
anybody else. He knows nearly as much
about the legal technicalities of our in
volvei municipal statutes as the proverb-
ial Philadelphia lawyer, and for these
reasons he Is one of the best men we
have for public life. But everybody
agrees that G. M. has done his stunt. and
it is hardly fair to press him into CIVIC
service again too much against his will.