, 1897-03-12


thus becoming a first-rate surveyor and
civil engineer.
In the next few years many v~icissi-
tudeS betell lin. He studied law in the
office OF Judge Walker in Omaha. For
a time he had charge OF the money order
and registry department of the Omaha
p~ostottice. Then he was employed on
the survey OF the boundaries OF Wyo-
ming, and when those boundaries were
completed he returned to Nebraska and
continued work IN the public surveys
Of that state. afterwards becoming a re-
porter Cor the Omaha Tribune and the
Omaha Republican.
In the seven years tina, Mr.. Richards
was engaged on the public surveys he
came in frequent contact with the In
dams. Vast herds OF buffalo covered the
plains. and The red men roamed at will,
sure OF subsistence wherever they might
be. The Indians looked upon all white
men as intruders; they had a particular
aversion to surveyors, for surveyors al
ways fOreshadowed the coming OF set
tlers. The business OF surveying was
;huS attended with great danger and
many hardships. The surveyors had
constantly 10 be on their guard against
attacks by the savages. Mr.. Richards is
not a lover OF the Indian. He has had an
opportunity to study carefully the nature
OF the red men, and he has been able to
discover in it little else han trelchery
and brutality. He thinks that every In
dian should be allotted a reasonable
AMOUNT Of land. and should then be told
lihood or starve.
In the late 7Os Mr.. Richards vent
from Nebraska to California, where he
divided his time between Surveying and
farming. In the Sand Lot campaign of
1879 he was elected county surveyor of
Santa Clara county. OF which San Jose
Is the capital. He built up a large prac-
tice and was in a fair way TO accumulate
l fortune, when from overwork he be-
came i'll, physicians informing him that
ne had consumption and could not live
a year. In 1881 he LEFT California sick
and penniless, all his savings having
been lost because of his inability to
make further payments on real estate
IN which he had invested. He went TO
Colorado Springs with only the knowl-
edge OF his profession for capital, but
determined to recover his health and TO
take a new start in life. Within Two
years he was elected couuIy surveyor of
FL Paso county and city engineer Of
Colorado Springs, his health meantime
having much improved.
For years Mr.. Richards mad cherish
ell Il desire to return to Wyoming, be-
Ht 'iAS mat there was a rich Iu,ule in
store for that territory: SO in 1884 he
resigned his official position and set out
for Big Horn valley, locating at a point
10 miles from any railroad and COINS
20 work 20 reclaim a tract of desert land
and TO make a home for himself and
family. In this undertaking he was sue
%cessful, being one OF the first to practi-
caily demonstrate the great possibilities
Oh irrigation. He erected a house with
his own hands. worked early and late
and was happy.
lie mad no been in Wyoming long
when he was elected a county commits
sioner. having been nominated BY both
parties.
Living in the midst OF a great cattle
range he familiarized himself with the
stock business, and in 1889 he was made
manager of a large cattle company and
went to work on the roundup. While
50 employed, he was appointed by Pres
ident Harrison. United States surveyor
general OF Wyoming, w%hereupon he
moved TO Cheyenne. He made an enyi-
able record in this important Office. the
ABILITY with which it's business was con-
Quoted contributing largely to the ad-
Vancement of the stale. He had been
IN Office -four years and three months
"hen President Cleveland appointed his
successor. He then returned to his
ranch at Rec Bank and re-engaged in
the occupation of farming and stock
raising. However, he was not permitted
long to remain there. In 1894 he was
unanimously nominated by the republic
can state convention for governor Of
wyoming n received the largest vote
ever given a candidate for governor of
that state, having a good majority over
the democratic and the populistic candi-
date combines.
Governor Richards had always kept
in close touch with the plain people of
his state, and he made his campaign di-
rectly with them. He was nominated
and elected not on OF wealth.
for he had ii not. 1t is probable hat no
other candidate for governor ever went
through a campaign at SO small an out
lay OF money. Having the confidence of
the people, knowing their needs, and
discussing the issues before them fairly.
fearlessly and persuasively, he WIS
greeted enthusiastically wherever he
went; and at no time did he doubt that
he should be triumphant at the polls,
Governor Richards has been in office
less than W years, but in hat short
space of time he has given ample evil
dence that he possesses superior exc
cutive ability and sound judgment. He
was treated with the greatest of courtesy