, 1904-04-05
ALWAYS IN OPPOSITION

II seems almost incredible, but IS
nevertheless true. that the leaders OF
the democratic party can always be
round opposing legislation for the ben
q OF the people. In the fight tor the
repeal of the land laws, wage hy scv,
eral great railroad corporations with
. powerful lobby. they are right in
nne. Patterson Of Colorado, Gibson OF
Montana, and Newlands of Nevada, all
rom states whose interests should be
the interests OF the entire arid region,
are found working tooth and nail with
the railroad lobby. and at the same
Tune they are constantly asserting that
they are working for the good of the
people.
On Saturday Senator Warren gave
enem some nuts to crack. No man in
America o more about the opera.
ton OF the land laws than Senator
Warren. n he went after the entire
outfit with hammer and tongs. When
they had questions to ask they found
MIN right at home. He was backed by
q statement from the secretary of the
interior to the effect that only one en-
try OF OF 500 under the desert law and
n entry out of 1000 under the home
stead law We're fraudulent. This state
ment was bad for Senator Patterson,
VINO had asserted that eight acres out
OF every ten patented in his state had
been obtained In a fraudulent manner.
The Wheakand colony came in for
NYtft0i0m mud n wound % ,l,,, g,.,,
the senator from Montana. but the
senator from Wyoming was more than
equal to the task of its defense. That
particular spot Is the pride of Wyo-
ming. There has been shown just
what our soil and water are capable of
doing.
In securing titles to the lands occu-
pied by that colony there remains the
bare possibility thai all the technical
forms OF law were not strictly COM
piled with. but the entire matter was
rully considered at the time by the
secretary of the interior. with all the
evidence before him, and he came to
the conclusion that there was a SUBJ
stanttal compliance with the desert
law, and passed the entries to patent.
No sane man in the state Of Wyo-
ming now questions the wisdom Of the
action Of the land department, and
no man having any knowledge what
ever OF the conditions existing at
Wheatland would set up the cry OF
fraud. The reclamation of those lands
was entirely beyond individual enter.
prise. 1t required large capital and
cooperation. BY herculean efforts the
land. the water and the people have
been brought together and hundreds
Of happy homes is the result. The
colony is composed CT small farmers,
very few Of whom have more than 100
acres. and a great many Of whom have
less. It is a home colony. And above
and beyond all lies the fact that there
has been no attempt at extortion on
the part Of those who have managed
the company owning the land. Lands
with perpetual water rights have been
sold at q reasonable valuation. 1t re-
NAMED for q democratic senator from
another state to point his finger at the
Wheatland colony, and cry fraud, and
1t Ia q pleasure to the people of Wyo-
ming to be able to say that Senator
Carey's great agricultural work found
in Senator Warren an earnest and fear
less advocate.
From the supreme court of the
United States down to tn humblest
ward-heeler, the leaders of the demo-
cratic party at the critical mo
ment to be ever ready to oppose those
very measures the people iced the
most.