, 1886-12-30
EX-GOVERNOR q, w. BANTER.
His Appointment. His Resignation ana
the Acceptance OF the same.

to the New York Tribune, in answer to
communication sent to that paper by Mr.
Il. A. Slack, of this city, and published OF
Dec. 4. Governor Bakers letter, it vii
be observed, is most ably written. givine
a full, straightforward and comprehensive
history OF his appointment as governor o
this territory, and the circumstances which
led to his resignation. We taket the liberty
to reproduce the following extracts from
Governor Bakers reply published in the
Tribune of Dec. %:
To the Editor OF the Tribune
SIR / have read IN your issue of the
5rd inst, a letter dated Cheyenne, Wyo-
ming Territory, Nov. -, 1856, and signed
by H. A. Slack, and your editorial com
ments thereon. | fee. certain that a great
metropolitan journal will not willingly
lend itself to the purposes of Il political
opponent in an attack upon private char
acter, for while the pretence OF your cor
respondent is criticism Of the present ma
tional administration, his real and only
object is 10 give wide publicity to his
abuse Of me. His entire letter is made
up of assumptions not founded ON fact.
and Misrepresentation. rs will appear
from a consideration of the circumstances
leading to my appointment to the COVER
horship of Wyoming Territory and subse-
quent resignation. When President
Cleveland determined. presumably for
good and sufficient reasons. to renove
Francis +. Warren from the governor
shin. he desired, in the s%election of his
successor, to comply. if possible. with the
pledge OF the party for home apnoint-
ments. My name was presented to him.
and | presume Others, for consideration in
this connection. but not as voir correspon-
dent states. bv the Tennessee deleoation
nor was it asked for or urged by such
delegation. In fact. they had little or
nothing to do with the appointment.
On the 9Th day of November las. | was
named for the place. At that time | am
satisfied that the president knew nothing
IF o,v .o,no,,:on aror had ur;,h ,ha
-.
,e"einS Vi r",iroau iahus, anu 50 lar as
Know and believe. he had no knowledge OF
the fences of Ex-Governor Warren and
Nj T. Post Four davs af,er nv ~arno;nt
u. -
'"' was '"ioui'eu recei'eu iro"
secretary Lamar a Geographic inquiry as
to whether or not | had WeqoHy inclosed
government lands To this T renl;ed in
,ba nano,;ua had sm ,ma 49,
"ek" ""u Sone WV seaS
before lneloscd government land IN tenc-
ing certain lands bought by me of the
Union Pacific Railway companv. but
boyo uoror hod - roasa. 80 aon.;aou
80 y.
such inciosure niesai. rlhuihg' however,
that the charge OF having illegally. fenced
government lands had been lodged against
mo and that an effort vas IN he modo bv
w..
d SET Vi poi''icai pirates VINO
were July aware OF their inability to use
me for their purposes, to prevent my
name from going to the senate 7 address.
,Lo c,llominr Iot,or - l. Ima~@aH
II '''o"i"s ie''ei ~ 'ne uepa,'nieni'
In 1854 these lands Union
racine land grant were offered Tor sale by
the company and IN September OF that
year purchased large tract aggregatlng
ABOUT my thousahu Oi0ou acres ana
Immediately thereafter sold 2O,oOO acres,
hoiding the remaining $1,000. AT the
Tune OIL making TINS purchase the cattle
interest a large portion OF the
Eastern states was threatened with con-
tagious disease, and as everything ! pos
sessed was invested IN n herd OF cattle,
ranging ON the pubic domain in Wyo-
ming, naturally experienced some
anxiety lor tneir saiety,. Inc value oil
these lands depended largely upon the
risht TO fence them II they could pro
perry nc ienceu u purchase might
prove OF great value to me IN enabling me
TO separate my cattle iiom Others on the
range ana tnus protect them from disease
before making TINS purchase (for It was a
,argee one ior my means L sought the pest
legal advice as l thought o~btalnable.
Among those consulted was the Hon. W.
W. Oorlett; VINO STANDS by common con
sent not only as the aDlest lawyer In w yo-
ming put n oil ne aplest IN the west,
lie ,hhesi'a'lhgly ADVISED that the right
existed provided IL was done IN a certain
way. MY own iather was consulted, the
late Judge Baxter, OF the United States
circuit court, and he positively and empha-
ucally expressed the same opinion. h
certain way oil ienclng was to place every,
part OF the fence on lands bought OF
the railway company. Believing that |
was acting upon proper advice and had an
unquestionaple right to do as did.
made the purchase as stated above IN
September ~, and early in the follow
ing spring March, 1888, the month
President Cleveland was ~lnaugurated)