, 1901-01-14

The boomerang refers with some
gusto and evident satisfaction to the
fact hat Governor Richards advocates
a bounty upon predatory wild animals.
1t is very natural that the governor
should do so. He is a stOCkman, one OF
the largest in the state. His patrons
are principally stoCkmcn. A man that
will not stand by his friends is not
much Of a man after all. But he gov
ernor is a fair mar and, while We have
not talked with him in relation to the
matter. we will venture the assertion
that he would not oppose a bounty law
lcvying the tax upon the property ben
Gifted.
Republican papers of the southern
part of the state do not oppose a boun-
ty law. They oppose the unequal man
ner in which the tax has been levied.
They do not believe it just for one
class of property to be taxed for the
exclusive benefit of another. 1t is true
that the stock industry is the backbone
of the state. 1t is also true hat the
backbone is a very healthy II with
sufficient vitality and wealth to stand
alone. Anything that Is 20 its injury
hurts the entire state, it is true, but
the same argument applies to all other
classes of property. When a house
burns in a city the entire state is in
jured and in the same degree that the
state is injured by a like value of stock
being destroyed upon the range. Yet
the HORSEPOWER in the city does not
ask the ranchman TO aid in maintain
ing n fire department for his benefit.
Again, the man owning city property
is compelled to pay a heavy tax for the
support of a city government with all
its charges for police department, WA
t%er-works, etc, and these incidentally
aid the stockman. for does he not re-
ceive the protection of the city gov
eminent whenever he %sojourns within
the limits OF an incorporated town?
The stockmen should have a bounty
law. The price per head upon wolves
should be so large that 1t will effect
practical determination, and we are
pleased to say that the ranchmen OF
southern Wyoming have come Loyalty
to the front in the protection of their
interests. Bounties have been offered
by private organizations as high as
twenty dollars per head. 1t is profta
Bile for them to do SO, for the reason
that one wolf may do several times this
amount of damage in a single season
Tn" Republican proposes a law that
will operate with equal and exact jus
tiCe in all sections of the state. Let
the bounty be n charge upon the o
ty in which the wolves are killed, the
tax to he levied upon the stock inter
ests. In this way the stockmen Of Car
bon county would not be compelled to
pay for something which did them nc
good, and the stockmen Of Crook coun
ty would be compelled to meet obliga'
tons which properly belonged to them
1t is not good argument to say that
the stock industry is the principal in
dustry OF the state and therefore
should receive the fostering care OF
the state. Just because it is the lead.
ing industry is why it should bear an
equal proportion of the burden Of gov.
eminent. When a man becomes rich
il IS frequently the case that he con-
siders himself a public ~benefactor and
seeks 10 throw his public burdens upon
his poorer neighbors, but justice de-
mands that he be required to share
equally in the burden of government.
It has been argued by some whose
wish WAS father to the thought that a
law Lowing a tax for bounty purposes
upon Il" stock of the state would be
unconstitutional, hut some Of the very
best Of our lawyers do not hold to that
opinio-. Such a law would be general
in its Application and fair in operation.
Tho Republican appeals to the Wyo-
ming legislature to give us a just stat
ute, one thai will be fair to all the
people Of the state. Let the watch
word be, Equality before the law"