Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1901-11-08
Strong Arguments in Favor Of a Ma
tional Lease Law Are Ably
Answered.
new MEXICO'S POSITION
The Majority of Its People Are Opposed to
a Lease Law, Because It Would Kill
Off Its Sheep Industry and Would
Hurt Its Goat, Horse and
Cattle interests.
Roswell, N. NJ, Nov. 6, 1901.

Special Correspondence New Mexican
The New Mexican, always bein
just, even to those who oppose ii
views. will undoubtedly give place t
the following defense of nationa
lease law, by a prominent stockman @
i Chaves county. This stockman says:
"The large cattleman can do with
out drift fences because if their stocl
drifts rs to 100 miles south in the win
ter, they do not feel the expense of fit
ting up roundup wagons, hiring mel
and bringing the stock back in tn,
spring But a small cattle man cal
not do this. His calf crop would no
pay the expense of the roundup
wagon and men. The large sheep own.
ers do not want drift fences or 6
lease law because they want to drift,
their sheep from place to place with
out going to the expense of developing
water or paying for the grass The
large cattle owners do not live among
us nor the large sheep men either as
to that. They do all they can to dodge
the assessor and tax collector and con-
tribute as little as possible to the
counties and territory. The cattlemen
with large numbers of cattle will not,
or many of them will not allow small
cattlemen to work with them and
thereby they are keeping the small
cattlemen out of the country which
they wish to use.
''If the national government would
lease the public domain, say for a per-
iod of ten years and subject to the
homestead and desert land act, to saw.
from one to two cents per acre, ac-
cording to quality of the land, and al
low no one to own or in any way to
control exceeding 5000 acres, and al
low the present occupants of the land
the first privilege of leasing, it would
work a great benefit to the territory
and to the counties and towns, as the
country would then fill up with small
cattlemen and stockmen generally who
would help to support our schools,
towns and county governments as we'll
as the territory.
The work of leasing the lands could
be done by the different land offices at
little additional expense and after de-
Quoting the expense, if the remainder
Is donated to the school fund in the
different counties, we would have the
best school fund Of any common
wealth, except, perhaps, Texas and we
would equal that state in that respect.
II know that the New Mexican has
1 great influence and know that 1t Is
'air and is ever working for the bene-
1T of New Mexico. 1 know it will con-
.inue to advocate such measures as
Will benefit the masses and ask it
therefore: Why should the national
furnish the large stock
'wners feed the year around for their
immense herds Of stock? I am willing
o pay for my herds and their forage
Ind every small stockman, mean
heep and horse man as well as cattle
nan, is willing and anxious to do the
anne, thus while really protecting their |
'wn interests also helping along the |
chool fund, increasing the assessment
n each county, raising the value of
ands in the territory, developing a |
more abundant water supply, encour-
ging permanent settlers to come in, |
uild homes and to invest in New Mex
co and increasing the population and |
he wealth Of the territory. Certainly,
low Mnvinn
aw."
A REPLY.
The above letter from Roswell |
tockman is probably as fair presen-
alton of the national lease law ques-
lon, viewed from the standpoint of a
clever in leasing plan, as is possible
D be made. 1t is temperate in express
ion, and is evidently the opinion of
ian with a conscientious belief in the
,erits of the proposition which he ad-
coates.
But with all due Difference to the
entleman's faith and sincerity, a
areful dissection of a national lease
wv and study of it's certain effects
pun tAIC AilllACuoC ANCStOCh luISTGSlS
the great west, cannot fail to DEM
nstrate that it would prove disas-
.ous, and applied to New Mexico
'ould blight the territory's largest and
lost valuable industry.
A close reading of the letter will
how that it's trend-perhaps uncon-
,iously-is more to show a controver-
Y between the sheep and cattle inter-
SITS than to portray how New Mexico
nd citizens thereof engaged in the
vestock business are to be benefited
Y leasing of the public domain.
Aside from the setting forth Of the
nancial conflict Of interests mention
l, the Roswell writer devotes his let
# to plea for the small man.
Arguments are sometimes more eff
.ctively answered by interrogations
len:
II as the Roswell writer asserts, the
nall stockman Is to be the chief bene-
,iary of a lease law, and, as he COW
.tly holds forth, the big man is to be
amaged or have some present exist
e privileges taken away, why Is 1t
lat the syndicates and the big men
e the ones urging and working for
le passage Of leasing bill and the
,ice Of the small man is seldom, II
,er heard in Its favor? II it is to be q
good thing for the little man, and q II