Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-04-27
TAXING The Right VIEW.

TAKING THE RIGHT VIEW.
AS the Argus has been persistent
and foremost in opposing the effort
to have the land laws repealed, es-
pecially the desert land act, we are
not only pleased with the action of
congress in refusing to disturb the
laws but are highly gratiied at the
attitude of the Republican party of
this state so far as ii has expressed
itself on the question. At the re-
cent convention held IN Cascade
county to elect delegates to the Re-
publican state convention the follow.
ing resolution was unanimously
adopted:
Recognizing that the desert land
act has been the means of enabling
many of our settlers to combine with
profit the industry of stockraising
with that of farming, and under the
provisions of said act thousands of
acres OF arid lands have in good faith
been reclaimed. and that the repeal
Of said desert land act would retard
the settlement and development of
this county and the state for years
to come.
we, therefore, place ourselves on
record as unalterably opposed to the
bill for the repeal of the desert land
act and we resent the imputations of
wholesale fraud made against worthy
settlers. and demand as necessary for
the proper agricultural development
of our country the restoration to des-
ert entry of all the lands which have
been indiscriminately withdrawn from
such entry"
This resolution was prompted by
the fact that last fall a large tract of
land was suddenly withdrawn from
entry, under the desert land act
in Cascade county. This unexpected
withdrawal worked a hardship to a
good many settlers and was met by
a strong protest. We understand that
the land was held not to be desert
in character and was therefore with
drawn. probably through the influence
of Senator Gibson.
At the recent Republican state con-
v~ention the following resolution was
also adopted:
Mindful of the abuses of the des-
ert land law in former times. and
%anxiously desiring such amendments
as will prevent their continuance, we
are nevertheless opposed to it's re.
peal which would result in some por.
lions of our state in large areas of
the public domain remaining beyond
the reach Of our citizens as home.
seekers therein, and We commend
the increasing care of the administra.
tion in detecting and preventing the
abuses heretofore existing with ref
erence to this law"
The Cascade county resolution hits
the nail on the head when it says
that the desert land act has been
the e of enabling many of our
settlers to combine with profit the
industry of ~stockraising with that OF
farming" One is a necessary ad.
junct of the other and must be fol-
some time to come. And il is also
true that the repeal of the deser,
land act would retard the settlement
and development of the county"
The resolution adopted by the
state convention states a fact When
1t says large areas of the public do
main would remain beyond the reach
of our citizens" If the desert land
law We're to be repealed. There
would be no way of making the lant
of value to the settler or to the gov
eminent. except through leasing.
1t is surprising that the press Of
this state has been so Indifferent as
to what was being attempted in tho
way of repeating the land laws. Il
a concerted attempt had been made
to check the growth of Montana in
definitely no more effective way
could have been found than through
a wiping out of the land laws.