The Dolores star., 1904-01-22
MpE Awake commissioners.


The Star j. in receipt OF a circular
letter sent out by the county cominis-
-iouers of Garfield county calling at
tcntion TO convention to be held at
Denver today. The object of thi. con-
yentiou l. 10 meet Messts. Pinchot and
Newell Of the public land commission.
who arr visiting western cltie- 10 hear
complaints concerning public land
conditions and suggestions for new
legislation4 Tire circular reaii- IN part
a follows.
The board Of county commissioners
OF Garfield county have appointed a
large delegation Of representative citi-
zens to meet this commission and lay
before ii the facts IT. they exist. In
order 10 give these people d full view Of
the situation, both sides must he repre-
-ented; sou need have no fear but that
the land grant railroad. and corpora
tipns that own land script covering
millions OIL dcrt- of western lands will
bc there and very ably support their
side Of this contention by the best
talent obtainable. But who will feprc-
sent you? No one nnles- you take hold
Of this matter and urge your neiyhbor
10 do the same.
''The battle fought and won four or
five years Ago when the question Of
leasing the public range was up for
settlement should still be so fresh in
the minds Of every one a. to require
only passing notice here. That WAS
question Of leasing the public range
and placing the dominion and control
Of this heritage Of the people IN the
hands Of -yndicatcs. The same object
t. here sought only under n different
form, viz:
"lI To repeal all land laws except
the homestead law. And It would seem
hardly necessary to call attention to the
development of the western states and
territories through the operation Of the
Desert Land law, nor to the home. that
are REPRESENTED thefeunder, that could
not, since the repeal OF the Presumption
law. practically been established in any
other way Nor can the harm that
would result from the repeal of these
laws be fully appreciated or measured
in retarding the growth Of the western
states and the reclamation of the arid
public domain. This repeal is not
sought by the pioneers of the west nor
by the men who with their families
have successfully contended with the
hardships and privations Of frontier
life, but by the corporations aud -yndi-
Gates above referred to.
"f2J The establishment Of yaat forest
reservations are detrimental TO the de-
yelopment Of the arid wet in that
they include within their boundaries
millions Of acres Of land that is abso-
lutciy devoid of timber, and which if
left open to enter under the Desert
Land Act as the same now exists, will
be entered, reclaimed and cultivated,
and furnish homes for thousands of
thrifty citizens who would bear their
proprotionatc share Of the burdens of
taxation, many years before their elm
inalion could he brought about by APP
plying to the department for relief.
at is not sought to interfere with
the establishment of timber reserves if
confined to timber lands, but the indis-
criminate practice Of including within
the boundaries Of these reserves vast
areas Of agricultural lands, should be
protested against"
The above needs no comment. We
publish it so our readers may think
the matter Overland be ready whenever
an opportunity presents itself to fight
for their fights.
OAk a A a a A a. ~ a An Al