El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-03-30

TIE came west 70 Gallup in 1894 as
II a telegraph operator. getting
u = about $50 a month IT that time.
He got photographers cramp' and the
company had 10 "Iet him go" Then
9. y. Cotton found his real vocation
and went to making money. Today ne
IS head Of a company. owning most Of
the stock. which Is assessed FOR taxes
at $3.50 Everybody knows how near
= tax valuation comes TO being the
real valuation, but. granting that It
was fun. the mayor OF Gallup has done
fairly well in the less than % years
that he has been in business.
Not only has this man Cotton become
a great merchant and trader in his
part Of the country. but the people
nave hOnOred him politically and he
is ROW the mayor of as live q small
place as there is in the southwest
the largest city Of its size on the
map according TO G. p. Walker and
some OF the others on the recent p. =.
Z. excursion
As mayor. NJ. Cotton has raised the
licenses Of the Gallup saloons from
$500 4 year 20 $500, but has not closed
many OF them out, for there are still
IS: there were % when he took office.
He has also enforced the midnight
closing rule-salOOn doors were never
locked MNtn ne loon CfLlCe-au0 mas
forced the removal or every chair from
every saloon All screens have also
been taken down Il have done what
1 could TO curb the liquor evil by keep
ing the saloons from enticing victims
the mayor said IF men want 10 drink,
let them. but they must stand up II
they drink in a Gallup saloon and
they can ne seen by everybody pass
ing; 7 won't stand for any screens"
Mayor Cotton laid the foundation for
his fortune trading with the Indians,
but now that is a very small portion
of his income He is stin the biggest
dealer in New Mexico in Indian blank
cts and is recognized throughout the
country as an authority on Indian
blankets. but he is making more money
out Of other things. He IS a most
prosalc blanket man and does not be-
lieve lin all that bunk as he says.
about the meanings OF the different
designs in the blankets.
There is nothing 10 it he said.
IAN Indian woman WeaYeS a blanket
to make it the prettiest she can She
weaves into II whatever she has IN
her head and that is all there Is 10
IL. know they nave stories and al
legged Legends about this design mean
ing this and another meaning that, but
its all bunk am respOnsi BILE. prob
ably, for as much Of this bunk as any
body. The buyers used to come in here
and ask me what such and such de
sign stood for and I would tell them
something. Finally IL got so 1 had 10
tell q lie with each blanket 1 sold The
business got SO Zig that 7 wrote one
OF my biggest customers in Colorado
something like this: I am too busy TO
write YOU any more bunk about what
the designs in these blankets stand
FOR You have been reading my stuff
about them long enough 10 lie as wei
as / can
"Once in awhile I explain the only
real meaning 7 know In any OF the
blankets. 1 explain that the black
means trouble-trouble for the sheep 10
grow il. trouble for the owner 90 shea-
il, trouble for the weaver to weave iJ
and dash Of a lot Of trouble TO me
70 sell it. That's as much meaning
as any or the blankets have"
Explaining how they are made Ar.
Cotton said an Indian woman after
weaving about a fourth OF her rus.
would roll o. ur and weave auo-l-.
fourth, then roll This up and conpI-t,
her third fourth, fneu she turns ti.
blanket around. begins ar the other
end and brings the fourth fourth OF tile