, 1900-02-05
STOCKMEN FAVOR LEASING.

Stockmen who have studied the Ques-
ton, and more particularly owners of
cattle, favor the leasing OF the state
lands. They would be pleased to see
the state given title to many millions
OF acres more than it now has. The
matter was fully discussed at the re-
cent national live stock convention and
the action in favor Of leasing showed in
the most conclusive n the feeling
of the s~tockgrowers. We had been led
by some to believe that the ranchmen
OF Carbon county were a unit in opposi-
ton to the leasing system. 1t is not
true. A Carbon county ranchman,
living at Dixon, writes to the Rawlins
Republican as follows:
The writer was at the county seat
last week and saw a petition being cir
culated in the interests OF the large
sheepmen, Said petition is addressed
to senators, representative in congress
and governor, and protests against all
legislation whereby the lands will be
coded to the state" and their reasons
for protesting are firstly an so on up to
about twenty-ffthly.
"As long as there is public domain
in large areas it should be open for
settlement for all Of our citizens with
out giving special privileges to any
class"
How transparent their first objec-
ton is, for an open range gives to the
sheepmen, not only a special, but all
the privileges Of the country to the
detriment Of everybody else. They
keep away settlers, drive out ranch
men, ruin the range and devastate a
country worse than the Egyptian To-
Gust. These one dozen .sheepmen Of
Rawlins have absolute control OF all
the outside range OF Carbon county
and yet they are clamoring for more
protection.
In their second roar they say 'if the
public land is turned over to the state
it will be leased under the present sys-
ten in large areas to wealthy individ-
uals and corporations to the detriment
Of small stock owners and ranchmen."
They are only afraid it won't be leas-
ed, as they say, in large areas to
wealthy individuals, etc. They know
full well that If the state has LAND to
lease it will be leased to small stock
owners and ranchmen. This is where
the shoe pinches. They are afraid of
actual settlers. They talk of large
areas being owned by wealthy indi-
viduals and corporations when as a
matter of fact a few dozen sheepmen
ave absolute control of all the country
from Snake river to the railroad, north
and south, and from the North Platte
river to Green river, east and west.
h few sheepmen have got rich from
this large area Of lane and are now cir
culating a petition begging for sign
ers to help them to continue in pos
session Of this large area controlled by
wealthy individuals.
There are thousands of sections of
and in the aforesaid large area where
an actual settler could locate a home
stead, then, if he could lease the bal
nee of the section and have protec-
ton against the sheepmen, he could
have a comfortable home and land
enough to make a comfortable living
for himself and family.
In their third and fourth kick is the
same howl Of the public domain pass
ing into the hands of wealthy individ-
,,oIr oud or,orotiopo Con tbaro he n
more ~overbear;ng, tyranical monopoly
in an unsettled country than a dozen
well-to-do sheepmen? They cGu ana do
drive out all other classes Of stock and
give the poor rancGmen the "horse-
laugh" Many poor ranchmen would
be glad to lease a section or two Of land
for his mich cows and not have to
guard the same with a shotgun. We
cannot have a worse state Of affairs.
The sheepmen and open range have
kept our country back twenty years.
Let us try something disclosing or
anything else to settle up the country.
Encourage people to locate permanent
ly in our country and then w will
have a large and prosperous communi-
ty instead of a prosperous few.
In the matter of taxation ranchmon
with small holdings list all their prop
erty and at cash value. Do those sheep
barons who are clamoring for open
range do the same? We opine not.
The state board has been very char
table to those range howlers, and
when the assessor goes around the