, 1891-03-17
AN OUTSPOKEN EXPRESSION

inquiries VI tue uNM laAA law " Auf NNl
sideration OF the political necessity Of
shielding our three representatives 10 con-
gress from the consequences OF their mus
deeds
It very frankly and fairly remarks.
Because the land law. just enacted, was
passed by a Republican congress is in it.
self an odd reason why party papers 10
Wyoming should be divided upon party
lines in regard thereto. We are inclined
to think there is nothing partisan in the
law and it came to pass because the East.
as in the silver question, Outweighs the
West in the national council. THE
CHEYENNE LEADER is emphatic in its
d~enunciation OF the law and may be a lit
tie premature but We credit The LEADER
with enough honesty, as a public news
paper, devoted to the upbuilding Of our
commonwealth, to believe other than
partisan motives actuate IT.
The Ne1rs then goes on to say tia the
Republican paper Of Cheyenne Processes
to believe that The LEADER d~enounces
the law because it was passed by a Repub-
lican cougIess, but a Hair minded reader
of the law and the made on it
by these papers would be led 10 the con
clusion that the Sun is defending the law
because the Republican party is RESPONSE
bic for it, for TO save US, says the Ners,
we have not been able to discover any
raerit that the Sun has pointed out in
the new law save what Is patent to every
BODY familiar with our land laws.
The LEADER attacked the bull on the
broad ground that it would work deadly
injury to the people Of Wyoming. 1t
did not content itself with simply
making comments. It printed the law
itself so that everyone interested might
sec for himself the extent and nature Of
the danger which had been Dreciprtated
upon the state II the comments OF this
paper were not fully justified by the pro-
visions OF the law itself then they would
have been OF no force, and there would
be some grounds upon which to rect n
charge Of partisanship. Unfortunately
the statements Of The LEADER are more
than borne out, and there Is prcciscdlY
where the shoe piuches.
To a certain extent the Nsirs is wrong
IN alleging that the land law and the sill
yer question are parallel cases because
they embr ace sectional rather than politi-
cal differences Of opinion. There is no
doubt a very strong feeling in the East
against the Western land laws, many peo-
pie in the East beng taught that the
rapid settling up Of the West is contract
ing the market Tor the sale OF products
and thus producing the hard times there,
when As a matter oil TACT the tarit and the
night on silver are the causes OF the great
financial depression. When Wyoming
became a state and sent three representa-
tlYes to congress 1t was popularity supposed
that they would represent u interests
there. When the SILVER question came
ID they clearly went back on US and
finished the job by telling the people what
they would have done had things only
been different. In this matter the Re
publican press OF the state. with one ex-
ceptIon, either mildly commended the
action OF the senators or remained stol-
IDLY silent. h single exception was the
NetoS.
On the silver question there is room for
an honest difference OF opinion. In
wyoming the question IS comparatively
new. For a long time 1t appeared to
many people here that 1t was a question
which mainly concerned the silver pro
ducing states and Wyoming wasn't pro-
duclng much silver at the time. The
people OF the state were wrapped
up IN cattle raising and kindred
interests and the great question OF silver.
considered from a national economic
standpoint, received from them purely
pe%rtunctory attention. The people are
now beginning to get the perspective OF
the question, but we do not pretend
to assert that they are unauI-
mouslv in favor OF it, although we
believe = big majority OF them are,
There was, therefore, room for an honest
difference of opinion on the-merits of the
question.
The land law is. however, an entirely
different matter In this question the
people Of the west are a unit. 1t comes
directly home TO their everyday life, They