El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-20
THE LIS CRUCES
To Ell PASO
ROAD
Eli Newson Voices Com
plant of Some Farmers
That the Survey Is
Wrongly Located.

Earlham, n. NJ. Sept. 1S.ZEditor
FL Paso Herald While we re-
! ioice with FL Paso and Dona Ana
county in the promise of the governor
Of the territory and the good roads
commission TO send the prison labor
now at Silver City and a sum Of money
out Of the 1 mill tax equal TO the
/ amount that shall be raised by Dona
Ana county. feel that the present is
an opportune time to state some facts
| in regard to how the short line is be-
| ing sidetracked and wet blanketed by
certain interests which are not Of the
people of the lower Rio Grande valley.
When the writer discovered that the
Canine Real had been located out in
the sand hills and prepared his petit
ton to have it changed to run con-
tiguous to the Santa Fe railway
through the valley, it met with little
or no opposition until a meeting was
called by the president of the MesiIla
valley chamber Of commerce, Nicholas
GALES, the president of the Mesilla
valley produce exchange, T. ROuault.
and the president of the agricultural
college of New Mexico, W. E. Garri-
son. The call was to meet at 10 a.
N. on Thursday. August %. There was
a large delegation from the lower val
ley on both sides Of the river in Las
Cruces on that morning When in
quiry was made as to the meeting It
was gravely announced that it would
be held at 2 o'clock &uher at the cham
Der Of commerce rooms or at the ar
mory in connection with a meeting to
select delegates for the irrigation con-
gress to be held in Pueblo
At noon several of the men who had
come in private conveyances were com
PEELED to return home on account of
the bad condition of the roads But
a few We're present at 2 o'clock from
the southern half Of the valley The
irrigation congress took precedence
and at o'clock the good roads meet
ing was called by Mr.. Gales with
very appropriate remarks.
No sooner had he finished-even be-
fore he took his seattle paid attor-
ney of certain corporations took the
floor and consumed a half hour in a
rambling speech about the condition of
the roads in the valley, in Germany.
and Indiana, and even made sport Of
the road between Anthony and Ell
PasO- A point of order was raised that
this meeting was called for a specific
purpose and that that purpose was in
the interest of constructing a road
through the MesiIla valley to connect
with the splendid road now nearing
completion from FL Paso to the state
line.
The point of order was sustained by
the chair. a motion carried unani-
mously to appoint two delegates to go
to Santa Re on the eth of September
and secure portion Of the 1 mill tax
and the prison labor. The chair in
quired How shall this committee be
appointed? and the mover suggested
the chair appoint. Another motion was
made and carried to appoint commit
tee of three to name the Santa Fe COM
mittee and provide their expenses. The
committee was named and here the
matter ended.
The chamber of commerce took up
the matter Independently and sent
Messrs. Rouault and Sutherland, who
before the good roads COM
mission and secured all that was ex-
pected Of them. But nothing has been
done to change the work from the or
iginal survey in the sand hills to the
short line, and thus the people have
been defeated in the most important
movement in this connection.
The county commissioners will meet
on the first Monday of October and
the chairman Of the board reports to
the writer that they will consider the
report Of the viewers of the road from
Anthony to Mesquite about Wednesday
or Thursday. On the outcome of this
report and it's adoption hangs the veal
or woe of this whole matter Of the
road from Anthony to Las Cruces or
from Dona Ana to FL Paso.
The writer has been carefully in
curing as to the sentiment of the peo-
pie south of Las Cruces and has not
found a single individual but what is
in changing the original
survey from the sand hills to the val
ley. And no objection has been dis
covered except the interests Of certain
nonresident and resident land specula-
tors. It is indeed time for the people
to arouse themselves and see to IL
that the prison labor and the 1 mill
tax and the $4,000 now available IN
Lhe county are not wasted IN the in
-erests Of these corporations.
Let the people be present by them
selves or their representatives at the
meeting Of the county commissioners
n October and see to it that the petit
toners for the short line road are not
defeated in their purposes. And then
invite another committee who are Of
he people and not the corporations to
go TO Santa Fe with specific purpose |
# having the work done on the short |
me III I1ic valley anu let ludl ne uOIl6
before January l.
It is unnecessary at this time to
argue the question Of the propriety Of |
his change, as there is almost a uni |
yersal sentiment in its favor. Let the |
people awake. and the victory is ours. |
Let US sit supinely and we are de- |
,eated
Eli Newsom.