The Holly chieftain., 1899-12-15
DENVER GOSSIP.
ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM THE
STATE CAPITOL.


STATE CAPITOL.
Captain Francis w. Tupper, clerk z Z
the United States District Court, died
on the 10th.
Governor Thomas has accepted the
invitation of the Washington Board OF
Trade to attend the banquet Of the
board December 21st
Time is being taken by the forelock
this year by stockmen, says the Repub-
lican, to prevent the ruvages of wolves
during the winter on sheep and cattle
ranges. From Wyoming and New Mex
leo word has been sent stock owners
living in this city that both wolves and
coyotes are beginning to appear out Of
the hills in unusually large numbers.
The absence of severe weather has
kept the stock in the mountains later
than usual. The most successful meth
cd used by stockmen to drive a
wolves is to put trained dogs on the
range and keep the packs moving from
place to place as the wolves appear. L.
S. Lacey recently made arrangements
to take several hounds to Wyoming
Lions will receive attention and Lacey
expects to rid the Wyoming ranges
of these pests. Dogs will be selected
that have the quality not only to fol-
low and capture but to kill the quarry.
Governor Thomas thinks the federal
government should grant each state
and territory the arid government lands
within its borders. He will advocate
this proposal before the coming guber-
Material conference in Salt Lake City
next week. Governor Thomas says:
IF the federal government acts as
have suggested, the principal condition
should be that the states should carry
on the homestead feature on their own
account. In this state are fully D.
100000 acres of arid land. If owned by
the state these lands could be rented
for grazing and other purposes and at
least the regular rental of cents per
annum per acre could be secured for
them. That rental would bring into
the state treasury 81 100000 a year.
On some of the land 4 higher rental
might be secured which would equal
iZe the non-rental of other lands. If
the government arid lands are granted
to the states and territories the ques-
ton of irrigation will very rapidly work
itself out"
1t is said to be strong probability
upon to enact law looking to the in
PRODUCTION of civil service rules in the
state land office. A condition of affairs
has been discovered by DIR. Chipley,
the present register, that did little less
than startle the members of the board
at their regular meeting with refer
ence to the files and the slipshod man.
ner in which leases have been allowed
for years to go without proper super
vision. The doctor made a report in
response to n request by Governor
Thomas in which he called attention
to the jumbled condition of the rec
ords and the difficulty in entering into
the history of coal, mineral and graz
ing leases. After the meeting Register
Chipley said the change OF administra-
ton and clerical force every two years
was undoubtedly the cause of the trou-.
BILE, the system of the office being so
complicated that it required great
part of an officials term to get in
touch with 1t. The business of one ad-
ministration was, therefore, seldom
passed on to another with precision
and clearness that the importance of
the matters demanded. Incidental TO
this particular case Register Chipley ,
reported in a general way upon the
condition of the leases. He showed
that there were only twelve coal
leases in the state that were alive ac-
cOrding TO the records. all others hay
ing been forfeited, and that there were
seven such leases ON oil, fire clay and
stone lands. The doctor informed the
board that as rapidly as possible he
would present similar figures on graz
Ing and agricultural and metalliferous
lands, so as to show the members Just
where they stood.
Captain Cecil A. Deane, custodian of
the war relic department at the state
capitol. who recently returned from
further government surveys In SOUTH
western Colorado and northern New
Mexico, received yesterday a large
quantity of prehistoric relics which he
collected on his trip. Some are of n
character never before discovered in
that part Of the country. The lower
half of a human jaw having two rows
Of double teeth and found in an old
grave is one of the most curious speci-.
mems. But there is one piece in the:
collection which leads Captain Deane
to believe that it is possible that the
clfn dwellers had household goods
which they buried with the dead who
formerly owned them. This Is n leg
and foot which may have been part Of
nm idol. Among the more valuable
relics are a dOuble-bitted stone ax.
metate or hand corn mill which has aflJ
oblong depression work by grinding
circular stone metate weighing sew
enty-five pounds, sixteen inches in di- 4
ameter and having a central depres-
sion OF four by nine inches This kind
OF primitive hand drill is very rare A =