The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1909-02-11
COLONEL DEFINING TO
COLONEL MORRISON.
Invites fine PrOdigal's Return to
Land of Plenty.
BUTLER, Mo-, FEB. 5, 1909.

BUTLER, Mo, FEB. 5, 1909.
EDITOR OF THE TIMES: In answer
TO letter that | see in your paper
OF recent date which Chss. Morrison
wrote criticising what | said about
New Mexico, In particular Mountain.
air, the locality In which Mr.. Morri.
son Is located.
L was there about a month ago
and drove out to Mr.. Morrison's
place. l have been acquainted wish
Mr.. Morrison for thirty years He
asked me what l thought OF she
country. / told him l did not think
much OF Is; did not seem TO agree
with his views, for he was in the real
estate business. He asked ms TO give
him my objections to that place.
The first thing, your soil is no
good; and the next thing you farm,
ers are all hauling water from one
mile to ten miles for your stock and
house use, from o well which the rail
road uses to get water for It's en-.
gines, which understood was be.
tween three and four hundred feet
deep. Mr.. Morrison says they raise
clover, timothy alfalfa, potatoes,
pumpkins, cabbage, corn, wheat and
oats in that locality, while | did not
see any OF that stuff in twenty mile
drive, excepting a few small potatoes
and a few pumpkins. l saw some
corn In the sack which was shipped
from Bates Co. Missouri, was all she
corn saw. | saw a car load of tim.
o.hy hay which was worth SIS 90 q
ton, which the man said came from
Kansas. don't think there is grass
enough grows on one hundred acres
to feed one COW. MIR. Morrison says
when that country gets developed II
will be all right. | don't think its
very new, for there is Albuquerque
only seventy miles from Mountain.
air, which Is over three hundred
years old, where men can take all the
government land they want within
sight OF the town. When farmers
have TO dig from one hundred to five
hundred feet Tor water l don't think
much OF Is.
Mr.. Morrison thought was loco.
ed, but don't think there Is any
danger OF man being locoed In New
Mexico, for l think the land is too
poor to grow loco, but 1t does raise
rattle snakes and gils monsters and
tarantulas and fleas. | think Mr..
Morrison would like to boom the
country and have people to come
down there 80 he could locate them.
Mr.. Morrison says he has known
me for a number OF years and says
my reputation for truth and vsrscity
was never questioned. 1t seems to
me since MIR. Morrison has gone to
New Mexico he has gone a little
daily, for now he doubts my word.
He called me Colonel Denning, where
it was only necessary to call me Pete
Any one who Is thinking OF locating
In New Mexico had better 20 and see
1t. II 1t isn't as have stated it and
worse, will set up the dinners. Now
l don't think Bates county is she
only place. / saw places on my trip
more desirable than Bates county
(but 1t was not In New Mexico) but
land was from 800 to $500 an acre,
say nothing about an orchard,
with an orchard worth from $1,000
to $4,000 an acre. l think anybody
that would leave Bates Co., where
the soil is good and plenty of water.
coal, wood, market, schools and
churches all over the county and go
to New Mexico, | think they have
made q bad mistake. This Is Pete's
view OF the matter. If l were In the
real estate business In New Mexico
suppose would talk different and
think that is the reason Bro. Morri-
son talks the way he does. Bro.
Morrison is like the prodigal son. He
left the land OF plenty to eat and to
spare and went to New Mexico to
feast on stubby cedars without any
water. But II he wants to come back
to good old Bates we will give him
the right hand Of fellowship.
prrEp DrNyrNn