Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-02-18
Making of LIano Will Start
One of Hottest Battles in
States Legislative His
tory,
SUGAR FACTORY TAX
EXEMPTION PASSED
Bill Goes Before House for
Second Time After a Series
of Unusual ViCiSSitudes;
to Help Cruces Project,
tBy II. l.. ID. McAllister, staff Corre-
SDDndent)


spondent)
Santa Fe, Feb. 17.--There is every
probability that next week will see
enc of the hottest new county fights
ever waged in a New Mexico legisla-
ture, and that means that the fight
will be very hot indeed. The argu-
ment grows out of the attempt by
Mr.. Eaves. of Eddy county, to have
the legislature create the county OF
Llano out of portions of Eddy and
Chaves counties.
AS its name indicates. the new
county would be made up entirely of
the plains country of southeastern
New Mexico. 1t would, roughly
speaking, take off the east half of
both Eddy and Chaves counties. Low
ington is named in the bill as the
county seat
a remarkable feature of the pro-
posed new county is that there is not
mile of railroad nor a single stream
of water in all its area. 1t is a coun-
try of vast ranches and oF > oprn
cattle range. Wells, PIT ~
furnish what n e.
scend from timing
except artifii s-l boundaries II
is part of tS-s-.rs,tt panhandle coun-
try of western Texas
The Politics OF IL.
Added to the inevitable fight be-
tween those who want new county
seat and those who don't want their
taxes increased, which goes with ev-
cry attempt to create new county,
there i. nnIit III. la t..,e. ssronc sitien 40
to .I,t ff fs,
about as much politics as it is possible
to crowd into any legislative measure
politics of the lower Peeos valley
variety, than which there are none
more"
There are few republicans in Cha
YES and Eddy countios-so few that
the open season for them extends
from January the first to December
the thirty-first. But there are two
democratic factions the members of
which amuse themselves by cutting
each others political throats all the
year round and sigh because there
are not more days in the year on
which they can indulge their favorite
pastime,
The principal difference between
these factions is that one of them
has held all tine county offices for
many years, while the other is just
beginning to get a taste of office
holding, Sometimes they are designat-
ed as "the old gang and the new
crowd; sometimes as the "standpat-
ters' and the bull moose" The
struggle for pie is the only thing
they have against each other, but that
is enough and then some.
Would Isolate Moose.
1t so happens that the "bull moose"
wing of the democratic party in both
Chaves and Eddy counties is made
up largely of new settlers who have
located on the eastern edge of those
counties-in the plains country. The
further west one goes, the greater is
the strength of the "old gang" And
such has been the growth of the pop
ulation of the plains country that in
the last two or three primary elec,
tons, the "bull moose have been
winning with fair degree Of regular
ity
Wherefore the "old gang are good
and willing that the new county of
Llano shall be created, for the result
would be that in the portion of Cha
YES and Eddy counties remaining the
bull moose" would be most effectu-
ally dehorned. By the same token,
the moose, or at least those who
would remain in the western end of
those counties, are violently opposed
to being placed in an inconspicuous
minority by having their brethren of
the plains penned up in political
corral by themselves, with nobody to
fight but each other.
Delegations Coming.
The members of the legislature
from the two counties from which
it is proposed to carve Llano county
are divided on the proposition. Rep
resentative Eaves of Eddy county,
who introduced the bill is of course
fighting for it. His colleague, Rep
resentative Livingston, through one
of whose ranches the county line
would run, Is opposing it with all the
Nigor he possesses. Senator Skeen
the third Eddy county legislator, has
been non -committal so far, but it is
believed that he will line up with the
antis when the time comes.
Of the Chaves county members,
Senator Lea is outspoken in his adj
vocacy of the new county, having de-
clared on the stump in his campaign
that he would favor it if elected.
Representative Mehlhop is against it.
Representative Lewis has so far taken
no active part in the fight, but is 60
ing to be opposed to the new county.
Representative Bills, like Senator
Skeen, Is as yet on the fence.
There will be hearing on the new
county bill before the house commit
tee on counties and county lines Mon
day morning, at which time the
friends and opponents of the measure
will speak part of what is in their
minds Big delegations from both
Chaves and Eddy counties are re-
ported to be on their Way to Santa