Daily Yellowstone journal., 1892-01-12

%A'~ '"Nit' " AAAAF*t - - ~ k4it' A<iFJ
Against LII MI Grabbcrs.
The first Stale irrigation q n
vehti"n wliith ha& .in>t cnt,'
T. u':+d i's i4tn,r. was in uau,
Respects leu1A'k kn,le unnven ion.
Remarkable in ia rer-onuel ard i'll it.
honesty nf PURPOSE. Th4 mttut}e.'
ship Waa, thanks To the DISCRIMINATE
ing rn*tr- III several Oua,d # county
com lIls4i0uer+ VITO selected the uttt =
gates, lartt1y crtlll,n%td If either
prac'ic'l farmers nr nl+n who though
of other p1oft s+iont, had init rett~ in
irrlgAtinu. The nlining counties un-
der hr plan "f representation "dnp'et
by Tive governor were given u strength
in th1 convention wholly di prntmr-
titnt t. with their Interests In agricuI~
ur= by irrigation, anu irr while IL
locked W it this strength WIS 10 be
exertrd i'll manner hurtful to the
minority agricultural interes', hut
through flee discus .iou aud u dl-po .i"'
ton to be guided by the ''grang ~ in"
t-l;igence the VIII lt body If delegates
Wis even uaIly br' ught TO one way Of
thinking and that, the right way.
IT ~ Il singular fact that very lew OF
the nrA.ly twn hundred delegates who
assembled at Helena umItr the Gov
erlnE's call, laf'1 given any thought t"
tt t question that proved 10 ht THE
ltutllng one in the tOn> eutitn-ttr
uuc-1inl wh~thtr tit+ state uf Montana
-tuu Il u>k Uuclv $uu, to give ~ 1t vii
the pub ic lands within ilA butt"rs.
I'll va. thu hpitesl uuWn .s.tnte Ut
the salt Lax & I'll vei.liuD, anU It W"-
t,ciliy accepted hS everybodv a4 being
>o emtneut1y rro,er Thing IT. do ttnt
the Govt; n"r in u!ak'ug his cuil f"r
tbs conventit did iu; little nl"lc
tuen TO ret Il uAte fur !he convention
prtl recj4e tie Salt Lake rr,nlut|ull.
with Il h1iel -uEg"stiun that 1t ~onlu
b. desirable tu obtain II usst:t extr.s
sl,n nf the people III tn: All. ;. ut,
AT tis-t thought und With Wt dt]lo'
GRAFTON 1t SEEMED tn uo-t every one
thut the absolute git nf s''ch Mng
nitictnt empire bs ~ within the lr'un'
DARTS of lhl- slate tn 1t4 people wH-
ulo,t tctbe u.s:red, aud If M"ntana's
.ntiu, srnlent nf the suit Lake reso}u-
tious could he p 10 bring thls hl>ont, II
should he freely given. This was the
feeling Ut Il majority Of the delegates
who tnd only has ily con*ldert i thr
matter. 4Anung !he body. however,
were ct,ol- eaueu, IT t]erlivt nlen, who
had taken time to look upun 10th
sides of the question and who had dis
covered that fhe work Of the Salt
Lake Convention had been largely in~
tiuenced II not ''~teared' by TIE SOUTH
ern srans-cuntlnental lines. The
great interest taken by these corpof-
ations, in the parting of title from
government to state of 81 vast u body
OF lands Was worthy of investigation.
II they wanted 1t, 1t wns pretty nearly
4 tafe proposition that the people
didn't want 1t, no matter how atturtug
it atpt ared Oh lis face. But even the
apparently manifest benefits 10 far us
Montana IL cOnceraed we're very nla-
terial ie>aened when it WAS shown that
out of 80 100 ,0t)O acres of public lauds
in this slate only e. .00U, GOO had yet
been surveyed and that the gift would
entail ,he exren1e Of surveying The
remaining 7.:.000, ,Ur0 hef.re they could
be available as MI a.eet on which tn
raise nloney 10 promote litigation
schemes, and be cutt1pel'e to >lt aud
| maintain al expensive land bureau tn
properly administer the land business
of th+ stnte. In other words the Eiit
If ln.u.. ~ all VT uld be II white efc"
| ohAnt IF such burteusotIe proportions
that The state wruld ia Il few years ge1
thoroughly disgutttd with Its iuher''
tance and with such feeling pr"vad'
ing the community he apt t" d1sro*t
of the best part Of it through weak
or corrupt Legislature, for the tr"dt
tlonAry nie~s of pottage or less.
The opening "t the convention
found IL wide mud pretty even division
on this 4ue~tson. Gnv. Huuser, wh'
presided both temporarily and per-
n,anent|y, said IN hi4 opening Remarks
that hr hnn lived in Montana lonl
enough to lake anything that was "i
fered hiu!, aud the uld"tlmer4 appear
Ell generally 10 side with him on thl
l IL I r4aax411l