The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1916-10-27
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party any good, and we are again
unprotected. II takes a twelve
months residence in the state.
ninety days in the county and
thirty days in the precinct to
qualify a voter. Therefore,
while there are many citizens
and much property interest here
vet the increase in population
has been so recent that te ware
qualified to vote.
Notwithstanding the fact that
the citizens of Columbus have
loaned to the government base
camp a tract of about fifteen
hundred acres of land at SlOS.O0
per annum and several hundred
additional acres joining this
tract at a slight advance in price
ION which later tract is located
TWO good wells) yet. AZ the pres
ent time there are not a suti-
cient number of troops in Co.
.umbus 90 protect the village or
he great army supplies stored
here.
The government has gone 70
he heavy expense of drilling
wells on the new camp, equip
ping them with pumps, engines
and tanks, installing thousands
If feet OF water mains and num-
prouS hydrants it has built fiji
zen mess halls, and made ade-
luate sanitary arrangements for
he accommodation of thousands
If troopS.-yet, those that were
mere have been removed. except
ing the New Mexico National
Guards and a few soldiers of the
regular army, and none are sent
10 replace them, Why May we
ask?
Beside the new camp, we have
the old camp, south or the rail
railroad tracks. There is lOcat-
ID all our present troops, stores,
great amounts of ammunition.
supplies of all sorts and inn
uense machine shops. This
camp has accommodated 5000
troops and can do so now. Why
DO we not get the troops?
FL Paso has something like
1900 troops, many of them as
Jar as ten miles from the border
and in numerous cases on low
and badly drained ground. The
town is wide open and trouble
from this condition is of fire.
quent occurrence.
Columbus, as a village, pro.
hibits the sale of liquor, two pei
cent being the limit to alcoholic
drinks, consequently, there is
practically no disorder and very
few prosecutions have beer
found necessary for illegal sal,
of liquors, even during the occu
patton of the troops which nav,
at timse numbered many thous
ands.
We now have less than 1900
troops all told, and yet, Their,
are no more valuable stores t
be found anywhere than rgh.
here, within three miles of ole
Mexico.
The ordnance supplies, a We
ny large quantity of quartermas
ter stores, numerous truck train
and the tremendously VALUABLE
aeroplanes are all within tn.
guardianship of practically
handful of soldiers, all overwork
ed and discouraged.
1t would be no additional eX
pense to the government Il
send more troops to Columbus
except for railroad fares. Ev
erything is in readiness 70
them, and unless the camp i
speedily occupied, much of tn
work done at the new camp re
Gently vacated by the 2nd Mass
achusetts regiment of Infantr,
VIII go 10 waste ana QeSLruCJlOI
The PERCENTAGE of sickness il
the camps is very small and still
the government permits our fin
new camp to lie untenanted, tn
valuable government property {
be inadequately guarded and tn
village and citizens of Columbu
who have already suffered $
severely, to be exposed to pre-
yentable danger from a foreig
Zoe.
Are we, to satisfy a few pol
tlcians, TO allow ourselves with
out protest, to again be left t
suffer the awful indignities an
--.L. nH..L l.L.