Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-12-26
Trying to Monopolise Public Lands.

'1"S " '"S"VPSuSS ! bit uhu
The Denver Republican, which is
anything but what it's name indicates,
in a long editorial argues that the arid
lands Of the government should be ced-
ed to the states. The Stockman, the or
gan of the big cattle companies, urges
that the domain should be leased to the
range stock growers. Probably both pa
pers are working to the same end, to get
the laws so changed that the cattle
monopolists can grab them in large
bodies and by fencing secure absolute
control, either under lease from the
general government or the states. The
republican boots at the idea that the
national government will ever build ir-
rigation reservoirs. and intimates that
the various states would if they owned
the lands and could secure revenue from
I rentals.
This question has been fought over
at a number Of sessions of the irrigation
congress in the west, and at the Trans
mississippi congress, and has always
resulted in the passage of resolutions
against cession of the public domain.
There is reason to believe that the pres
sure for the passage Of a law giving
the lands to the states and territories
viii result in Strengthening the PROPOSE
ton to lease the public domain and let
the states and territories have the rent
ais for irrigatieu purposes. This prop
osition may win support from congress-
men who do not wish to give up the
public lands of the nation and thus de-
prive citizens absolutely of the right to
secure homesteads from the govern
ment. The leasing law would, however,
practically annul the homestead law,
leased, and in leasing, the corporations
or large cattle owners would have every
advantage, as they could afford to fence
where homesteaders would be unable to
do so, perhaps, and the homesteader,
should he succeed in getting a home,
would find his little tract hemmed in by
leased land. so that he could have no
range for his bunch of cattle or his lit
tie flock of sheep. No other country has
been so liberal to the poor settler as this
government. in granting his a home and
affording free grazing, and while there
has been no revenue derived from
grazing lands in the way of rental, yet
indirectly the nation has been benefited
by the acquisition of public land by in
dustrious settlers, who could not have
made a living while converting the wild
land into productive fields had they not
been able to combine stock raising with
agriculture, through free range. This
statement none will dispute. yet that
which corporations and would-be cattle
monopolists have BEEN unable to dc
through business methods, supplant the
small cattlemen and farmers in the arid
regions, they are now seeking to do by
law will be to stop development in the
grazing regions. prevent any more set
tiers acquiring land, and drive away
many of those who contribute to the
prosperity of the west, only to replace
them by corporation agents. The set
| tier and small cattleman who acquired
land on the consideration that he would
| make a home of it, and who has re-
fused to sell to the big fellows crowd
ing around him, would find the ground
made valueless. He would be literally
penned up and deprived of the privi-
leges the government tacitly guaran-
teed him when he chose the spot for a
home and rendered the industrial con-
sideration and paid the fees required by
the grantor. The lease law would be a
species Of bad faith to the ho~mesteaders
and settlers generally, who are in most
cases cattle and sheep owners as well
as farmers in many cases.
The territories and states can better
do without the rentals from the public
domain than to have the live stock in
dustry go from the hands of thousands
Of people into the hands Of a few scores
Of monopolists and the lands forbidden
ground to the people. There is little
likelihood of the general government
giving away to the territories and
states the entire public domain. The
east is too Jealous Of the growing west
and strongly devoted to the idea Of
keeping the lands as a heritage for the
whole people. But there is danger that
the advocates Of cession, by uniting
with the influences seeking to lease di-
rect from the general government may
secure a compromise that will give the
would-be leasers a monopoly. Congress
may be led to believe the people of the
benefit in rentals and the lands be inn
proved by limiting the use Of them to
Ion o,,c