The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-04-25

joying the comforts and Injuries Of
the older civilization. Tune your ear
to fair and honest criticism and say
how this sounds as coming from a
body Of men presumed to be repre-
sentative of at least one-third Of this
big state:
I'VE view with surprise the lack Of
fairness and intelligence that Is dis
played by some men in public life and
by some newspapers in the discussion
of the public land question. In our
opinion, very little will eve be added
to the wealth of the state except by
the further development ct it's min
eral and livestock u To in
vite a large immigration to engage in
farming will result in crowding the
live stock industry where 1t will not
be renumerative in proportion to the
increasing risk.
I'VE entertain no radical opinions
regarding the disposal of the public
l l0Au6, OuV W0 Who'll ~ lCOO1u OuI Ol6~
approval Of the fantastic and menda-
cious representations made concern
ing the operations Of the range stock
men,"
It is with surprise" that these gen.
tlemen regard the efforts Of progress
sive citizens and newspapers to in
duce settlement of the country and
defend 1t from wholesale occupancy
by a syndicate that would in time
become the most blighting trust of
all. These men and newspapers are
charged, not only with being unfair
but with being ignorant of the merits
Of the question under discussion and
later on they are accused of giving
publicity to fantastic and menda-
cious representations" anent the ques-
ton, which, do not forget, Is always
the appropriation Of the public do
main, no matter in what shape 1t
comes up. Certainly no more menda-
cious or fantastic representation in
this regard could be made than the
one that was made and repeated time
and again during the recent Miles City
meeting of the state association, that
the land leasing bill now before con
gress was a ''poor mans bill;" In
other words in the interest CT the
small range owner. Fantastic" is
indeed the proper characterization Of
this assertion, for nothing nor dis
torted and could be said
Of this specious measure.
AS we have said before, there is a
large area of Montana's range country
that water can lever be brought upon
arid and wild land. Let this be segre-
gated and placed at the disposal of
the range stock interests on some fair
and equitable basis. No one will OBJ
ject and in fact all will al, as we all
recognize the Importance Of u
range interests and the factors they
are in the support of the common
wealth, but withhold from such dis
position all land that al be reclaim
ed and made the foundation of a FAM
lily, for while mining and stockgrow-
ing may be respectable pillars on
which to rear an arch of triumph, the
keystone is in the family. It is for
this that men and newspapers who
oppose a wholesale wiping out Of the
public domain are fantastic and e
dacious" in their utteranoes. It is
fer this that this paper, bearing a title
that links it to the s~tockgrowing ia
terests and located in a community
largely devoted to those interests,
has been forced to criticise the aims
and intentions Of some of it's patrons
not all-in a movement to depopu-
late and give back to barbarism this
portion of Montana. And while we
regret this difference of opinion we
trust and believe that some equitable
and satisfactory solution will be
reached by applying Montana brains
and experience to the task and not
following blindly the lead of a nation
al association.
ANOTHER WILLING MARTYR.