Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-11-19

Lve Mens From Mew Mexco and Arizona
What's Doing all Over the Great Southeast

the towns bid for it and bid high. Ar
tesla beat them all, The town sub
seribed $4,000 in cash and gave the
site and did 1t much as IL 1t were an
everyday matter for a town Just out
of the village stage to build a college.
The buildings are now nearing COM
pletion; big imposing looking struc-
lures that Will compare favorably
with the best educational buildings in
the territory.
Right on top of this. Artesia decided
that its railroad rates were not salts
factory and that it vas not growing
fast enough. So il decided to have
another railroad. The Commercial
club held a meeting and came out
with the somewhat astonishing offer
of "a cash bonus of 100000 to the
first competing line that would build
in. The offer hasn't been taken yet.
but bankers and other equally reliable
business men declare hat the money
Is ready whenever the railroad comes
along.
The first thing the people who
founded Artesia did was to set out
trees. The result is hat the streets
are already we'll shaded. There are
rows and rows OF pretty cottages, as
attractive as any one could desire.
The business district is building up.
solid brick structures taking the place
of the first frame shacks. The town
has its own water works, light plant
and drainage system, and is keeping
right up to the mark in municipal
spirit. The schools are excellent. q
new high school building is just being
completed. The enrolment of the
schools is increasing so rapidly hat
another year will see the buildings
taxed even with the new one.
The fact is hat this town has been
in the front rank Of the progressive
class from the time it started. Quite
a while before the territorial legisla-
ture got around to it, Artesia effect
lively and finally shut off gambling.
The next move was a prohibition cam
paign which resulted in shutting up
the saloons. The saloon men opposed
the movement and so did some of the
business men. But the ''drys'' won
and today every one in town Is
strong for prohibition. even the men
who owned the saloons, and who say,
at least one of them says, hat there
is more money in farming land and
other lines of business than is TO be
made from selling liquor. This is one
where prohibition has worked
and proven satisfactory and there is
no disposition to take the lid off.
1t is a pretty interesting story, the
building of this town and the develop
of this district. 1t is a story of
enterprise and hustle and a full un-
Of the value OF natural
such as arc rarely 10 be
found. Artesia is going to be one OF
the big, prosperous farming towns Of
southwest. 1t is going to be a
producer, n as such will have one
Of the. strongest places in the Pecos
The town is going after a
county seat. Two legislatures have
been impOrtuned to create Artesia
county and two legislatures have
It down. But II is now fully
that another legislature can
not consistently do so, and 1t Is gem
orally believed hat the next legisla-
-ure will not try; for even the oppon-
ents of county division, some of whom
i've in Chaves county and some of
whom live in Eddy, are willing to
now that there is room for an
county and that it ought to be
|
1t will be safe to look for Artesia
county on the next official map OF |
New Mexico.