Bent County register., 1889-01-26
DIVISION OF BENT COUNTY
"The Times" Made an In
vestigation Of the Matter.
SOLID FOR a DIVISION
People of Rent Insist Upon the Teller and
Wolcott Btll-Only a Very Small OPP
position-A Beautiful Country
Prosperity Ahead.
special to the Denver Times.

Special to the Denver Times.
LAMAR, Colorado, Jan. 22.-Bent
County bears such a close relation to
Colorado's interesting history that it
seems almost shame to speak of
wiplng out of existence portion of
its name, and supplying IN place
thereof the names of two or more
counties. Yet the time has come
when such step Is absolutely nee
essary. Men and women, whose prac-
tical methods of earning livelihood
come from the hard knocks of pio-
peer existence, cannot live on ro-
nance, and hence Bent county Us an
entirety, with ito early episodes, must
retire among the things of the past
and something new and appropriate
fill the vacuum. The time was never
so opportune and the occasion never
more imperitiyely necessary. The
people of the entire county, am in
formed, demand that something de-
cesiye be done by the present Legis-
lature, and if that body fails to graf
ify the intelligent aud enterprising
citizens of Bent county, great and
irreparable injury will follow.
There is = plain duty for the Sew
enth General Assembly of Colorado
to perform. The method has been
simplitied by the people of Bent coun-
ty, who have sent representative men
to Denver to impress upon the Legis-
lature what is desired. 1t simply re-
Salx .s ;f.olf ipt1 n 1ivio;op of :, y,ct
county whose bulky proportions have
become 80 burdensome that nearly
$4,000 people are clamoring for a
method of relief. In their bills are
expressed their wishes, and the patl
eau oe cleared only through the body
now in session at the capital. JUS
tioe. for it is nothing more nor less
than this, must be done these people.
If the Woicott and Teller county
bills, at least, are not passed, great
mistake will have been made. This
is not an assertion based upon talks
with gentlemen who have been at
Denver since the Legislature conven-
ed, but it's fact that derived from
interviews with bankers, lawyers,
doctors, merchants, trades-peopls, ho-
tel keepers, and, last but not least
ranchmen, farmers and cattle and
stock men. There has yet to reach
me one dissenting voice. There i:
no politics in this questIon-Repub
licans, Democrats and Prohibition
lists constitute one band-and invul
neiable and compact body, whose
aim is to accomplish something tha,
has not been hastily sprung, bu,
which has required the careful
thought and consideration Of the
brainiest men of Bent county.
don't mean to be understood tina,
there is no opposition to the measure,
proposed-I simply say l have moi
encountered anyone who constitute.
this element. Nevertheless the great
majority are against the representa-
tives of the gentlemen whose money
is invested in large industry, and
hence their claims must be waIyed
in the consideration of the PROPOSE
tions in point. When the issue is
made both houses may rest assured
that to allow the Wolcott and Teller
county bills to become laws will be
Just what the Bent county population
wants. and certainly no more than il
is entitled to.
There are many reasons why BEN
county should be divided, which
when properly presented to the Com
mittee on Counties and County Lines
must throw the matter in q mos,
favorable light. Through the conr
tesy of different gentlemen l am able
to incorporate some of the most
prominent statistics and facts. The
territory lying within the limits OF
the proposed Wolcott county embra
ces fifty-six townships and is 42x4s
miles in extent. The assessed valua-
tion last May was $1963,537-only
one-third the real value of the pro-
posed county. The increase since
that time has been marvellous. For
instance the construction of bitches
has not been less than 100 miles,
while the proving up on claims will
run into more than a million acres.
This alone means that quarter sec
ton transferred from the government
to an individual at least doubles IN
value, for the reason that farm with
q title Is considered of Gar more val
ue than one which is still susceptible
to the control of an United States
land Office. Mr. F. p. Arbuckle, reg
lister of the land Office at this point,
tells me that there have been between
1000 and 5000 entries made since
early last spring.
To return to the valuation, worth,
and other features of the new county.
The increase in valuation since May
I, 1889, is placed at Ss4 per cent. by
the most conservative. Figuring up