The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-05-02
OPPOSED TO
LEASING Bill
WOULD TIE UP LAND AND RE.
MOVE OPPORTUNITY.
MONTANA WOULD SUFFER
Ex-senator Power Tells the Chicago
journal the Results the Meas
ure Would, Produce.

Former Senator T. G. Power is OPP
posed to the bill providing for leasing
public land. He says it will retard the
development of the northwest and re-
move from manv eastern people the
opportunity to find a home in Mon
tana.
Senator Power is interviewed upon
the all important question in the Chi
cago Drovers' Journal of last Wednes-
day.
much misconception Of existing
sentiment prevails not only in the
east, but middle west" said Senator
Power. Nov / am in a position to
know that the great majority of peo-
pie in the northwest do not regard
leasing with favor. We want the
young men Of the nation, the active,
energetic, brainy boys to come out
here and aid us in developing the
natural resources Of the country. II
we tie up the land, we will deprive
them of this opportunity, and place
Montana in a hide bound condition.
These young men do not come out
here to brave hardships to secure a
salary. They r not the kind of hui
mainly that is content to submit to
salaried conditions. They want indie
pendence, and that is what they come
here to secure. Tie up the land and
remove opportunity, and they will, go
elsewhere.
t'The great northwest is today in
the same condition that Ohio was 40
years ago, Illinois 80 years ago and
Iowa Is years ago. These states
were peopled from New York and the
eastern states. We are today getting
the cream Of the energetic youth OF
the central west and we want them to
keep coming. They leave homes of
hardships and we must not by legis-
lation or any other method bring
about conditions unfair to them. Talk
as you may, leasing of the public
domain will be advantageous to
the homesteaderand will prove neither
popular nor expedient. The home
stead law is as sacred as the bible
and we must throw no obstacle in
the way of the man who wants to
make a home on these plains. He is
a taxpayer for all time to come and
a ~benefactor of the country and pos
terity. Personally I would gain by
securing leased pastures and I be-
lieve in, land grant sections where
there is a divided interest a leasing
scheme could be applied but what
ann saying is in regard to the unap-
.propriated lands.
"The lease measure now before con-
gress would practically stop the set
of the northwest and its pas
sage would be contrary to all the
policies Of our government. So far
overstocking and running the range
is concerned leave that to the settler
who lives on the range and has his
own welfare at stake. 1t is the cap
who lives in the cities who
will fare badly during the change of
now inevitable. AS be-
tween the sheep and cattlemen in
Montana there is no conflict of inter-
est. They get on nicely for the rea-
son that the associations work in
harmony.
settlement Of the northwest is in
evitable' and the a who bucks
it, simply makes an exhibit
lion OF foolishness. Undoubtedly the
big outfit will, in q few years, be sue
by the man living on his
.ange, whose future is tied up with
hat of the country. Instead of liv-
ng in a big city he will be a resident
II the state in the same sense that
he Iowa and Illinois farmer is. These
ire the kind of men we want out here.
they will construct irrigation works,
lot the plains with homes, build up
,ur cities and towns and give Mon
ana an enterprising virile population
hat in the next quarter of a century
will make her the peer of any COM
in the union. The great
,st good to the greatest number
be the motto Of every patriot
md the men who advocate tying up
he public domain, not only display
elf-interestedness, but they are pur-
uing. a policy that must meet with
What Is Foley,s Kidney Cure?
Answer: 1t is made from a pre-
.cription Of a leading Chicago physi-