Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-02-13
LEASING PUBLIC LANDS.
Oattlemen of Colorado Are Actively 0ppos-
ing Leasing and Oession.

The CATTLE and sheep owners of New
Mexico should be doing something to
show their disapproval of the leasing
scheme which is to be pushed in con-
gress by northwestern Texas cattle
companies.
1t is evident that the people of Colo
RADIO intend to fight the land leasing
proposition, and several meetings have
been held for the purpose of expressing
their opposition to the measure. The
cattlemen of Eagle county met recently
in answer to a call, and took action on
the Wolcott land leasing bill by the
adoption of the following resolutions:
we object to the Wolcott bill for
leasing tho public lands of the United
States for grazing and agricultural
purposes, because there are yet in Col
orado thousands of acres which are yet
the heritage Of the people of the United
States, and can be taken up under the
homestead and desert land acts. At the
head of the small streams on the west
ern slope of Colorado there are many
good farms yet to be taken up that a
be easily irrigated without the expense
Of storage reservoirs or costly bitches.
ITO lease these fine craving lands
would be to deprive the settlers of a
home and bring the settlement and
prosperity of western Colorado to a
sta ndstill. There are also thousands
of acres which can be redeemed and put
in culti walton by storage reservoirs and
bitches. If leased and sold to THE cat
tie interests these tracts would not be
brought into settlement, but would soon
become large cattle estates, d~epriving
the homesteader of his heritage"
AT an adjourned meeting of Eagle
county cattlemIen the Shafroth bill pro-
viding for the cession of arid land to
the states was discussed. A committee
on resolutions was appointed, which
presented the following, addressed to
Colorado's senators and representatives
in congress, which was approved by the
meeting:
THE resident ranchmen and cattle
mem of Eagle county heartily indorse
the resolutions of the people of Lincoln,
Kit Carson, Elbert and Cheyenne coun-
ties, at their meeting alt Hugo, january
8. To lease range lands or ito cede them
to THE state would be a calamity to the
small cattle grower and ranchman. 1t
would create CATTLE s~yndicates and
trusts, Cypress the home people and
close the settlement of MI state to the
people of the United States; which land
is their rightful heritage.
we call attention to the fact that
the national stockmen's convention at
Fort Worth has, by a small majority,
approved of THE leasing of the public
lands, but we want you to note that the
small stockmerl and ranchmem We're not
theh'e-they We're not able to so. There
is mot one of these small stockmen-
who are THE bone and sinew of THE west
ern slope of Colorado-whO lis in favor
Of any legislation whatever toward
leasing the range or cedfng to the state.
We condemn the leasing of 81 900
acres in Conejos county ito a cattle syn
dictate. and we point out to our senators
and representatives in congress the
danger of putting the public lands in
state control.
I'VE ask you, our representatives. to
CONSULT THE interest of your country
constituent, who has only "a few dollars,
but who has the true interests Of the
state at heart, and who is the home
maker and builder up of the great
west"