The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1916-10-20

It has not been resumed. Not a pick
has been struck in the ground since
December /, nor a spadeful Of dirt
moved. Meanwhile Sweet has been
drawing his pay and the Bursum store
has been drawing money for supplies.
Nearly $4,000 to Finish.
The balance remaining in the fund
created for the road is a trine over
5000, enough to pay Sweets salary for
another three months. The total spen.
on the nearly completed seven miles
is S27,145.24, or at the rate Of
3S,s77S9 per mile At this rate to
finish the remaining sixty-three miles
II will cost S244,SO7. Towards this
amount the tax levy for 1916 will raise
about $4,000, but $4,000 Of this has
already been borrow and spent.
impossible Four Months.
After II is finished It is estimated
the road will be impossible for four
months in the year. At the IN" ranch
the snow il so deep in winter that
wagons cannot get through. The
mountains west of this ranch are
higher and the snow deeper in winter.
The Same Old Bursum.
Old timers in socorro County say
Bursum displayed the same road build
ing genius back in the nineties. At
that time Sheriff H. o. Bursum con-
ceiYed the idea OF road to MOgOlloD
from San Antonio, then his own pre-
cinct. He got $3.50 from the commits
sioners, it is said, declaring he could
get additional outside help. He took
some laborers out Just before election
and had them scratch the ground west
Of the IN" ranch. They then went
back to vote. At the next election he
repeated the performance. When the
Bateman act was passed early in 1897
1t provided that county commissioners
could fund any outstanding indebted
ness by authorizing an issue Of bonds
before August 2nd Of that year. The
Democratic county commissioners
turned Mr.. Bursum down when he
sought, under the act, to have the "ox-
penditures" on the Nogollon road
funded. Later one of the commission
ers went East and Bursum took Rd-
vantage of his absence 10 persuade
the remaining two to issue the bonds,
but the time to issue the bonds had
expired. The two county commission
ers were warned that If they attempt
ed to make the issue they would DO
prosecuted AS result Bursum did
not get his bonds until after a Repub-
lican board went into office at the
next election. IS soon as they took
office they voted to issue $41OO in
bonds to fund the alleged floating in
debtedness of expenditures on the Mo
COLON road These bonds are still out
standing.
At that time a board Of viewers
went cut in a wagon drove for some
distance in the wagon with difficulty;
were forced to abandon the wagon
and went ahead horseback; and final
ly had TO finish the trip on foot, so
they reported. Their report was later
expunged from the files, It is said, and
Il less harsh one substituted.
To Hubbell and otero Ranches.
There are no towns on the pro-
posed route of the road between Mag
dalena and MogOllon, but it passes
through the "Y" ranch Of Frank A.
Hubbell, Republican candidate for U.
S. Senator, and the "N-Bar" ranch OF
Ed Otero, one OF Bursum's most en-
thusiastic supporters.
Mr.. Bursum's methods of road build
ing have not changed in the past thir-
ty years.
lie is the same old Bursum.
He is still promising roads.
DO you want to put the highway
administration of New Mexico in the
hands of a man who will build roads