About The Clayton citizen. [volume] (Clayton, Union County, N.M.) 1906-19??
Clayton, Union County, N.M. (1906-19??)

The Clayton Citizen

The Clayton Citizen was published in Clayton, in Union County, New Mexico beginning on September 21, 1906. The last known issue appeared on January 4, 1924.

The successor to the Clayton Enterprise, the newspaper was first published under that title. However, a legal dispute over use of that name arose in August 1906. In a front page statement, Editor Robert Q. Palmer declared that he was not partisan enough for the publishers who claimed rights to the name. Four issues of the newspaper were published under a masthead declaring, "We Have Been Enjoined From Using Our Former Name "THE CLAYTON ENTERPRISE" until After September 10th.” The case was finally settled in favor of the plaintiffs, and the newspaper officially became the Clayton Citizen on September 21.

Issued weekly, the Citizen was first published in four pages every Friday. By 1916, it had expanded to eight pages and appeared on Thursdays instead. An English-language newspaper, the Citizen occasionally printed advertisements in both English and Spanish. Originally, an annual subscription began at $2, but by 1916 the cost had dropped to $1. A special offer, announced on February 24, 1915, promised a free packet of" ... Flower or Garden Seeds to the amount of 75cts" to new subscribers.

Editor Palmer, who had previously managed the Clayton Enterprise, added an assistant editor (and his future wife) Louise Cliver to the staff of the Citizen. The paper's stated purpose was the ". . . Interest of Clayton, Union County and Country in General." Despite Palmer's earlier claims about avoiding partisanship, the Citizen had strong Democratic leanings, ". . . advocating Democratic principles and furthering, to the best of our ability, the interests of worthy Democratic nominees."

A new editor, Oscar T. Toombs, who would later serve as a member of New Mexico's first state legislature, took over in December 1906. By 1916, the Citizen had a new owner and editor, Edward Ezra Plank, formerly of the Arnett (Oklahoma) Leader.

The population of Union County, New Mexico, grew substantially in the early 20th century. Years of wet weather facilitated dry land farming, and the land office at Clayton, the county seat, was busy. On October 5, 1906, the Citizen reported that 3,701 homestead entries had been filed over a six-month period. Accordingly, the newspaper carried many articles of interest to farmers, including crop reports, methods of agricultural improvement, the meetings of the Farmers Society, and the activities of the Union County Farmers' Institute.

The Citizen also covered local and state politics extensively. The front page often featured a political cartoon drawn by Edwin Wilson. Other features included a society column, reports on entertainment such as productions of the local theater, school activities, and news about the railroad.

Provided by: University of New Mexico