07/05/1976
The nation was three years short of its Centennial observance when the town of El Paso decided it was grown up enough to have its first government as an incorporated city.
The request of the citizens was put into legislation passed by the State legislature on May 17,1873, incorporating the City of El Paso. The charter authorized the naming of commissioners who would call an election on the second Tuesday in the following August.
SERVING as commissioners were Benjamin S. Dowell, Samuel Schutz, A. H. French, Joseph Magoffin and Allen Blacker. Blacker later was replaced by A. J. Fountain.
All were prominent pioneer citizens interested in the betterment of the town which lay on the east-west and north-south trade routes.
Dowell was elected mayor August 12. His six aldermen were Andrew Hornick, William Trycr, Joseph Schutz, Thomas N. Massic, John T. Gillett and John T. Evans. Within a few weeks, Schutz failed to qualify for his office and Massie, Tryer and Gillett resigned. At a second election in October, they were replaced by M. A. Jones, Allen Blacker, Parson Joseph W. Tays and Frank C. Marsh.
Lacking a city hall, the council made its headquarters at Dowell's place of business, a combination saloon and gambling emporium which also from time to time served as general store and post office.
It was the natural gathering place for the town's prominent citizens anyway, and lent itself well to the calling of seat of government. A plaque on Hotel Paso del Norte now marks the location.
THE TOWN water supply came mainly from a ditch or acequia which flowed from the Rio Grande along the approximate present course of San Francisco avenue, crossing what is now El Paso street and proceeding eastward in the vicinity of the Plaza Hotel.
Large cottonwoods grew along the banks of the canal and a small wooden bridge marked the crossing point on El Paso street, called in its early days the Alameda.
The city fathers were concerned about keeping the water supply as clean as possible. So their first ordinances were enacted with a mind to keeping people and animals out of the ditch. No more public bathing was allowed there, nor was wading or any degree of activity between that and swimming.
From time immemorial the custom had been for persons using water from the acequia to work on its maintenance in proportion to their use of water from it.
The new City Council, feeling it had to show its authority, adopted an ordinance requiring every male citizen of the town age 18 or older to devote at least one day a year to cleaning and maintaining the acequias. (A second one, known as the Magoffinsville acequia, ran a few blocks south of the main supply ditch for El Paso, in the vicinity of the present route of San Antonio avenue.)
WORKING A DITCH as part of the team of water users was one thing; to El Paso's early citizens, working it on orders from a group of politicians was something else. No one answered roll call for the annual ditch cleaning and the water commissioners, Gillett and William Tryer, were unable to respond by jailing everyone in town.
The next task was for the council to pass an ordinance authorizing Mayor Dowell to personally supervise work on the acequias and to advance money for expenses for the cleaning activities. Then he would be reimbursed through a tax on real estate within the city limits for the acequia and other purposes.
The levy was for $550, with George Butchofsky, the assessor and collector, entitled to 5 per cent of all sums collected. Samuel Schutz was first city treasurer.
THIS PLAN met with the same kind of enthusiasm that the ordinance on compulsory work on the acequia had inspired. Schutz resigned and was succeeded by H. S. Gillett.
For the period of August 15, 1873, to Feb. 14, 1874, the city collected a total of $3 in fines, although ordinances under which people could be fined had been liberal.
Among offenses were throwing cigar butts into the acequia and giving a public dance without paying $1 to the city. Only $210.08 was collected in taxes, and after expenses, the treasury had left only $9.25.
Lacking other sources of income, the council dreamed up a new scheme: several streets were closed to traffic and placed on the market. Dowell himself bought the portion of the street that now lies immediately south of Hotel Paso del Norte for $5.
THE 1874 campaign for city offices found Dowell competing for the position of mayor with Alderman M. A. Jones, an attorney and sometime schoolmaster. The main issue of the day became the question of licensing dogs, with Jones in favor of a fee on dogs and Dowell opposed. Jones won the vote by 33 to 17. His administration, however, weakened by lack of popular support, was the last for several years.
The town's fourth election, held Aug. 9, 1881, named Joseph Magoffin as mayor. The third election had not been held in accord with terms of the city charter and the fourth was called in order to restore the town to legality. Serving as aldermen were J. P. Hague, Warner Phillips, B. Schuster, Paul Keating, A. Krakauer and Allen Blacker. By this time, with the advent of railroads bringing new growth to the town, the council was able to assess a tax on 217 taxpayers and begin to operate in a manner befitting El Paso's new importance
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