South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-29
Seeing America
First
BY Fred Kelly.

More from the diary:
Now that I've seen New Mexico,
or at any rate now that I've seen
stable samples of New Mexico un-
furled by the Santa Fe railroad, I
have changed my mind about thing
or two. / used to like to crack rude
| jokes about the states OF Delaware
and Rhode Island, dwelling on the
absurdity of giving the title of state
to wee irritation on the map scarce
ly larger than the ordinary county.
That, as / say, was before L had taken
a good look at the state of New Mex
leo. And | no longer think il would
be lonesome to live in Kansas. One
could ride to Wichita and hunt up
Victor Murdoch and Henry j. Allen,
or ride TO Emporia and get in touch
with William Allen White. But if
you required company or somebody
to chat with in New Mexico what
would you do? You might ride all
day and see nothing but an Indian
village of adobe houses, the whole
thing looking as bleak and inhospi-
table as the inside of the Union club
in Cleveland, O. And an Indian, TAX
ing him on the average, is not a good
conversationalist.
For q long time my idea of the limit
of undesirability has been to live in
the thickly populated east side of
New York city. Now after staring
all day at the landscape of New Mex
leo, l am certain that to dwell even
on fire escape in New York's east
side would be delightful l would
enter into the spirit Of things, and
have a nice neighborly time of it,
There would at least be other folks
living there with me.
But in New Mexico-how 1 have
come TO hate the sight of mountains
made of big, unvegetated, red rocks!
Just the plain. unbrOken desert as it
appears now and then without the
glazing, snarling, big. red rocks. is
relief. New Mexico has an album
dance of flavor, but an all day trip
across il is like trying TO make an
entire meal off catsup and paprika.
So far as l can judge after this
rather casual examination, l would
say that there is absolutely no oc-
casion or necessity for New Mexico.
Yet it makes a big splash on the map
and has just as many senators as
the state of New York One of these
days / am going to make a rather eX-
haustive inquiry and try TO find if any
body living in New Mexico is at all
reconciled with his lot in life.
Not long ago. recall, the govern
ment raised the ante on homestead
offers of $40 acres. In other words, II
a man Will live for year on $40 acres
in New Mexico he can have that many
acres for his own. Live q year on
homestead in New Mexico! Wow, WOW!
Wuni Nv notion right at the mo-
ment of this writing is that l could
not be tempted 10 remain over night
in New Mexico for / 600 acres. L can
appreciate now why a lonely dog VIII
bark at the moon. There were sew
eral times during the trip across New
Mexico that / earnestly desired 10
sit back on my launches and bark
boisterOusly at the landscape. y little
while AGO we paused in the town of
Gallup. or some such name as that
the first town inhabited by white
people in the last few hours. Just
Offhand / cannot recall a town that
so thoroughly commends itself as an
excellent place not TO make long
visit in.
And more recently we reached the
town of Winslow. which has an at
tractive little Spanish architectural
station and hotel that look like
regular, human being place. The
moment ] saw that building | felt as
IL / must rush right up and kiss it.
BE that as il may. this happened:
I was sitting in the smoking COM
partment next TO two mel who were
discussing the advisability of buying
themselves a drink one Of them
called the porter and asked him il
il is possible 10 purchase liquor in
this part Of the country
Yes, sab" he replied. you kin get
il here in New Mexico. but not in
Arizona
So the two began 10 plan what
they would have. After a number of
tentative suggestions. they decided on
a pair of highballs
Porter" ordered the one who had
first brought Up the subject. bring
us two highballs-with ginger ale"
Cant have it replied the porter.
It's against the law. sab"
Why. didn't you just tell me
moment ago that we could"
Yes. told YOU that. but while