The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-11-19

the poor. This embraced the substance
of the arguments against the measure,
and it was quickly disposed of by a
unanimous vote against it,
!. Resolution No. 8 was then read, as
follows: gr
Resolved, That the United States gov
eminent lease the said lands in tracts,
by legal subdivision, for tue term of
twenty years, at the rate Of one-half
cent per acre per annum, which we
hold to be 10 per cent. ON, the value of
the land, for grazing purposes. That
the amounts of lands so leased be in
amounts as desired by renter, subject
only to conflicting claims of a joint &C.
cupant; in which case decision shall be
made 10y the register and recorder OF
the United States local land office on
the basis Of the number of cattle taxed
to each applicant the preceding year.
That at the expiration of any lease or
during its continuance the renter may
at his { .tion buy the land so leased to
him at five cents per acre cash. But
should he not SO buy. on OF before the
expiration of his lease, the said land
shall be open to entry by any one at
said price Of five cents per acre wher
the lease shall have expired.
No one favored this method, and 1t
was defeated by a unanimous vote.
Resolution No. A was then taken up
and voted upon without argument, and
was adopted by a unanimous vote. The
following is the text of the resolution /:
Resolved, That in our judgment the
interests of stock owners would be best
subserved by the continuance of the
present system, which permits only the
securing of title to small tracts of land;
first, because we believe the system OF
cash entry and graduation, and to a less
extent that OF leasing, is opposed to u
theory of government in that 1t enables
individuals to acquire the monopoly
and control OF immense tracts of land,
and concentrates the business in the
hands of a few men. 1t will work
great bardships to the owners of small
herds who will be unable to buy their
range, and must eventually have the
business second, that we believe the
| people of the United States at large are
now greatly benefited by the distribu-
ton of the stock business through the
hands OF many small owners, and by
their consequent prosperity, than by its
absorption in the hands of a few, and
that the country will gain more by such
| widely spread industry than it can from
the sums that may be realized from the
| sales of these lands third, that in our
opinion the question of whether grass
| will not disappear from these ranges
| with constant feeding is yet unsettled,
and hat the stock business will not
warrant the investment Of SO large a
per cent. Of capital as o~ne-sixth, in
what may in a few years be barren and
worthless property; fourth, that we
believe the practice of combining cattle
within any positive and impossible linn
its, however large, unwise and danger
Gus from the evere and destructive
storms, and the consequent necessity
that cattle should drift very widely at
such times for food and shelter, and we
think such a risk would not be COM
pensated by any or all the benefits de-
rived from the exclusive use of the
ranges purchased fifth, that a
usually fair observance Of each
others rights has been the rule among
ranchmen and owners of stock, and that
thus far self-interest has proved a safe
guard against the heavy stocking of the
range, and that we would rather trust
for maintaining our rights free from
entertainments to the community of
interests and the sense of equity
that is the rule here than to see u sys-
tenn adopted that must excite serious
quarrels between occupants Of ranges,
and a bitter feeling Of injustice among
the best stockmen, who, unable to buy
their lands, will see themselves in time
deprived Of their business, and be
obliged to sell and seek other employ
ment.
Major Evans then introduced the fol-
lowing resolution, which was adopted.
Resolved, That it is the sense of this
association that If il is deemed wise by
congress to reduce and graduate the
price of the public lands belonging to
the government, that 1t should never
be sold only to actual settlers, and for
the purpose of a homestead, and in
tracts not exceeding one hundred and
sixty acres to each purchaser.
On motion, the following committee
were appointed to investigate the mat
ter still further and make such recon-
mendations to the association to-day as
they may deem expedient: Swan, Stur-
gis, Maggie, Babbitt, Evans, Carey, VOL
colt and Tussel.
The association then adjourned until
1890 O'Clock this morning.