Gunnison news-champion., 1906-02-16
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A. We understand the sss0aO
rneut siackusen have made wsaA -
I lInchas. the chief fosesses. i -
/ be left largely 10 ess.h cpsaoxninv
ubesbcr the range shall te ~ - .
community ps-tnre. or shsAks -
tam individuals NAV sscSss -
rield 10 fence IA portsoas II -
range TINS Is a step m The rsQA
direction and commendai.lr sssGias
hy the department.; for 1t s)loos
rommun tees # American cssss~ns
the American privilege Of kxNl
-elf e1serument. instead Of psstsae
them uader an sut0craev moTe sis-
sllute than the Car f Rassss daR
exercl e
Nov. however. provided the Aesee-
meut Is really carried pnt, the pecple
I al Gunn.s0n coHufy are up against
the responsi ihiirv Of settling the
grazing question in a statesmanlike
manner The stockmen must CON
slider. MT alane their ow immediate
Interest,", bat the future of our cosn-
ty as girds us mines, i,s mann
fleturies. is new bones ANY range
policy winch viii tend TO restrict
settlement Will in the end bat result
lu making a country which no white
man wants b. live IN Sach a sec
ti0n hecomes dead. financially and
commercially, and rapidly turns to
fostering sore, morally and politi-
cally Look at portions IT Wyoming
aud Montana, where large cattle and
sheep companies have absorbed the
range and keep out settlers at the
point Of Winchester. in the Tom
Horn style. They have absolutely
stopped the Development Of their
states: or. worse than that. have
started them backwards toward the
bowling wilderness Of sage brush
and gray wolves Wyoming today
has a bare hundred thousand peo-
pie. where she should have half q
million. No white man wants t.
take his family into that country.
There is no room for manufactures.
no room for towns and villages with
circulating libraries, rural mil
routes, telephone systems, growing
4 public schools, in fact, no room for
civilization.
At the recent conventions in ben
yer, the writer was struck with this
same startling tendency exhibited
bv a lar ye runbcrs OF the national
delegates They wanted a leasin @
law, they were willing to let Mr.
Pinchot, or anybody, run their fads
to extremes, just So THEY could get
hold of tracts OF ground TO the ex
clnsion of their neighbors and of
new settlers 1t is the selfish inter
est held so close to the eve that the
larger good Of a growing, cultured
American community is lost sight Of
The Gunnison country has been
the most favored grazing section OF
the United States. Here we have
been developing the grazing and
agricultural possibilities of an area
as large as the state of Connecticrt
and accomplished it without the aid
of a single large cattle or sheer
company. II has grown in the ideal
manner into a country of over So,
small but prosperous ranch homes.
Along our creeks and river valleys
are developing public spirited com
munltles, with fine school houses.
circulating Libraries, telephone svs-
tens, debating societies, rural mail
routes and all that goes to make life
worth living. There is room fol
advancement yet. We need more
settlers. Then we can have better
schools, more telephone lines and
mail routes, more pleasant neigh
bors. The land is here, the water
is abundant and the range. if intel.
ligently cared for, can support more
cattle IN proportion.
News Champion believes that thi.
question deserves careful study. no
only on the part of stockmen. but O
all citizens. for all are interested
1t has faith that the verdict will h,
Tor the same system Of communit,
pasture, open to the herds of new
settlers, which has prevailed in til.
past. rather than to a change +,
leases and fences with their subtl,
yet vital dangers.
If you don't believe this, write th.
NEws about it.
The raopla ot C,,..