, 1905-12-21
LEIGHTON HAS LIT.

A gentleman signing himself William
r. Lighton, a writer for the Boston
Transcript, has "lit on" Wyoming with
both his pedal extremitles. Under the
heading, wyoming, Rotten Borough
he proceeds TO charge fraud OF the
most sweeping nature upon the OH
cials and the people of Wyoming. None
appear to be exempt from his scathing
pen. All are stepped in corruption
Here are some sample paragraphs from
the Transcript article:
In wyoming, however, the situation
Is very different. Probably nine-tenths
of the people are dependent, directly or
indirectly, upon the stock-grazing In
dustry. Whatever is thought to CON
tribute to the prosperity of this bust
ness is jealousy safeguarded by every
means. straightforward or oblique.
once the present day ranch idea got
itself established, N once a success
full venture had been made in putting a
roundabout construction upon the pub
lie land laws. forthwith the whole state
DOEAll 10 Invent HltNAOhh tANhHNh" AHN
homestead law, they said, was never
intended to be applied to that country;
the lands were not fitted for the home
stead settler; the literal enforcement
of the law meant n retarding of devel-
opment and the Industrial ruin of a
people. When ingenious argument had
uuieted the popular conscience-no dit
a-.N. ~. ~ a,.A faAf that tho In "
was in full force and effect cut no fig
ure. Its transgression became at first
custom and later a part of state polity.
Little by little the violation of the sta
tute has built itself up into an institu-
ton, to impugn which is to merit the
title of traitor to the commonwealth;
an institution openly upheld by many
men of exceedingly nice honor who are
stirred into a passion of virtuous rage
at the very mention of the word
fraud.
To-day we have this situation: Nine
tenths of the entries of public land
made in recent years have been in fact
fraudulent. This is at once evident up
on even the most cursory investigation
III tNtiN DaiN VI iS sNohtH ANohS ''N
q half-hearted p%retence is made of de
nying the truth, because everybody
knows 1t nj denial is futile. The reg
listers and receivers of the land offices,
United States commissioners, notaries
public, newspaper folk, lawyers, doc
tors, merchants and political chiefs
all are wise to the facts. The procur-
ed and perjured proof and the fraud
tainted title are the rule; and by these
means blocks of the public handsome
of them of really vast extent-are pass
ing under the control of single owners.
In addition, unentered public land Is
enclosed by Illegal fences to therextent
of tens of millions of acres.
1.-THE governor of the state knows
what is doing-and holds his tongue.
being by nature circumspect. The
states two members of the federal SEN
ate, Warren and Clark, are particular
ly well informed; one of them, indeed,
is a direct p~articipator in the prac-
tees; both have made frequent
speeches to their fellow senators, vehe-
mently contradicting the facts and de
claring their constituents absolute
honesty-the creation of these artific-
ial stage-effects is the principal reason
for their presence in Washington. The
states solitary congressional represen-
tative, Hon. Frank Mondell OF versa
tile achievements, is next with a
vengeance; 1t vas upon stepping
stones of dead-letter land laws that he
rose from obscurity to his present ex-
allied place. United States District At
torney Burke has been basing his
hopes of future preferment upon his
~cleverness in avoiding official knowl-
edge of a state of things concerning
which his private understanding was
complete. And to cap the arch, Com
missioner Richards of the genera land
office halls from wyoming-and he too
knows what's what. oh, it is a very
happy family, out yonder!"
Now what do the people of Wyo-
ming think of that? Nine-tenths of
them directly or indirectly interested
in fraud and the other tenth winking its
eyei Fraud the rule-a part of state
polity. Fraud an institution openly up
held by many men of exceedingly nice
honor who are stirred into a passion
of v%irtuous rage at the very mention
of the word fraudl Nine-tenths of the
entries fraudulent, and all of the land
officials, United States commissioners,
notaries public, newspaper folk, law
yers, doctors, merchants and political
chiefs-al are wise to the facts!
Amt that al indictment for you,
though?
Is there any truth in the statements
made? Just enough to give them cred
ence among the people of the east. AT
the present time the writer in the
Transcript might have reversed his
ratio and said that not more than one
tenth of the land entries were in fact
fraudulent. Our people are just as hon
est, just as ~law-abiding and just as 10y
al to the government as the people of
any state in the union. including M~s-
sachusetts. Possibly there are those
who seek to prove up on homestead en-
tries and desert entries through per-
jured testimony, but such practice is
not a rule, 1t is the exception and in
every case where such exception can
be detected The Reoublican helievaS