El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-11-29
DOna Ana COunty's Roads
By Francis Lester. Secretary Treas
urer Of DOna Ana County
ROad hoard.
Mesilla Park. n. NJ. Nov p.

1 notice with more than passing
interest Col. NewsOm's effusion IN
your issue Of November p. Col
Newsom assumes that Las Cruces has
lost the Borderland route. The as
sumption is incorrect Las Cruces was
put on the Borderland route when the
BOrderland route was first created.
and Col. NeWsOm can depend upon II
that she is going to stay there. Some
so Of the leading citizens OF Las
Cruces and Of the valley, both above
and below, who have worked for this
route are not going to see their ef-
forts come to naught
The Charges Of Bad. Faith.
Col NcwsOm charges DOna Ana
county with bad faith in road build
ing. He says that a solemn agree
ment made several years ago to con-
struct a road from Anthony at the
state line to Dona Ana has been
broken. This charge has been made
repeatedly by Col. NewsOm, and in the
issues of the Rio Grande Republican
of last May he was fully answered
take the liberty of again answering
this false charge of bad faith on the
part of Dona Ana county.
No promise or agreement was made
by Dona Ana county to build paved
road from Anthony TO DOna Ana With
in any definite time. as it would have
involved the impossible. DOna Ana
county has never had the money 10
build between these points any such
road as exists between FL PasO and
the state line; for the very good and SUI
ficient reason that she has only
small fraction OF the taxable wealth
of FL Paso county
How Main Road Was Built.
A few years ago there was no road
between MesiIla Park and AuthOuV,
except a trail that was barely passablc
in n few spots A great change has
been brought about. andwithin the past
four years the entire road from An
thOny to Las Cruces has been opened
Up and fairly good road constructed
Z The details of the expenditures made
on that road were set forth in my an
swer to Col. NewsOm's charges in the
Rio Grande Republican of last May;
so that it is unnecessary to repeat
them here. Even this work which
has been accomplished has OTFfy been
possible because of the cooperation
given DOna Ana county by the state
highway commission; and fully one
half of the money expended in the
building of this road has come from
the state.
There is no one who knows better
than Col NeWSOm that DOna Ana
county has never had. the money to
do this work single handed and with
out the assistance Of the state, and
there is no one who can realize better
than he, if he viii take the trouble
10 investigate 1t, that the work that
has been done is the result of bust
nesslike and efficient management,
such as the New Mexico state high
way commission has uniformly given
to the work it has done
Bonds Prohibited Heretofore.
ghe law has prevented heretofore
the issuing Of road bonds in Dona
Ana county, but thanks TO the ef-
forts Of the live citizens of our coun-
ty, We succeeded in getting passed at
the last New Mexico legislature a
bill authorizing the issuance of such
bonds. The call for the election on a
100000 road bond issue to be held
December Is has already been issued.
and it IS believed that the bonds will
carry by a large majority. This viii
give our cousty the means to DO
more IN one year than she has ever
previously done in the building Of
permanent highways.
Col. Newsom still insists that
road should be built Immediately ad-
Joining the Santa Fe right of way
from Anthony TO RincOn. Col New
som might take a trip I'D the right
of way. Of this road in day light. and
l think he would agree with me that
TO build a road strictly in accord /
anee with his suggestion would be al
most an engineering impOssibility,
and certainly an engineering folly, so
Tar as the road runs between Selden I
and Rincon. A million dollars could !
De thrown away nicely on that sort
of fOOlishness.
me QUESTION or Br1uEeHs
Col. NewsOm charges the Dona Ana
county road board with the folly of {
building two bridges across the Rio !
Grande; one at Mesquite and lone at
Anthony; the purpose Of which is to (
serve the farmers on the west side
Of the valley Let me ask Col New I
som one question 1t is indisputable !
that the farmers of san Miguel and La /
Mesa are practically cut off from the 1
railroad and from shipping facilities /
hon h. I.-F1
was washed out last spring. Does ]
Col Newsom mean to tell US that we I
had better leave these farmers and ]
their thousands of dollars worth Of I
nay and crops stranded on the west I
side OF the river, without q means Of 4
exit to market Even supposing that /
Col. NeWSOm's dream Of a completed /
Elephant Butte dam and a dry river !
IN 1914 is a fact would not the build !
ing OF the bridge be justified as an /
emergency measure for the farmers I
Of the west side2
Plans For the Future.
The colonel calls for the stopping /
of all bridge and road work in Dona /
Ana county until the CaminONReaI is /
built along the east side Of the right /
Of way to RincOn. I fear my good /
friend is doomed to disappointment. 1
The bridges are going to be built, and /
built quickly; in fact, we hope to let /
the west side farmers haul their hay /
to market over them before the win I
ter is half over. The road building
plans Of Dona Ana county are going /
TO be pushed. and pushed hard: not /
int the interest of the automobiles I
especially, but in the interest of the I
farmers and the land owners who pay
the taxes. And if the county road /
bond issue carries next month, the /
roads are going to be finished so I
soon that Col Newsom will wonder /
Just as much as any Of the rest of I
Us why it is that the good people of I
Dona Ana county have been hauling |
their crops through mud and sand and 1
bOsqUe byways all these (
years, when they could so easily and 4
at so small expense. by the bonding /
plan. have secnred nerrna nnnf- sn1onfI |