The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1907-06-20
PUBLIC LAND
C0NVENT|0
An Article Concerning
the Attitude of
The West.
and Ranch Men Is the
Square Deal"

The interstate convention called to
consider the public land question and
which will assemble in this city tomor
row will be thrown open to the fullest
and freest discussion of questions affect
ing the public land policy in relation to
the Far West says the Denver Republi-
can.
With certain features of that policy
the people of this section are not at var
lance They believe as firmly as anyone
in preserving the forests. No one ap-
preciates more fully than the citizens Of
Colorado that it would be n disaster if
the mountain forests should be destroy
ed.
In this particular there is nothing new
in the policy of the forestry bureau 1t
is no new discovery to say that the tim
ber growth of the arid region is needed
to maintain a uniform flow in the
streams and to provide timber for the
use Of the people. That is better under
stood and more fully appreciated by the
people Of this state than by theresidents
of the East, who seem for some reason
to think that the people of the far West
are held in restraint only by force of fed
eral law from stripping the mountains
Of Of their timber growth. Because kin
dred folly was committed in some of the
states bordering the lake region would
be no justification for the charge that
the citizens of Colorado and other states
in the arid region are equally blind to
their interests.
The people of the arid region recognize
also that there is mead of measures to
prevent the destruction of the range by
overcrowding, and on this account some
of the cattlemen have favored a leasing
policy. 1t may be questioned, however,
if the stock growers believe that leas-
ing system is requisite to accomplish the
desired end
The people of the Rocky Mountain
states are in full sympathy with the eff
forts of the federal government to pre-
vent frauds in the acquisition of coal and
other public lands. In so far as they are
opposed to the policy of holding coal
lands in perpetual government owner
ship they are not to be considered as fav-
oring the acquisition of these lands un
der any conceivable system of fraudu.
lent locations and entries 1t would be
an insult to their integrity and their pa
triotism to assert that they are in sym
patly with fraud of any kind whatsoev.
er.
The people of this section insist that as
rule the public lands should be held
for eventual private ownership for the
development of the Far West depends
upon the ability of its people to acquire
these lands They contend that Ameri-
can history teaches that the best way to
preserve the lands for the people is to let
the people have them. Thus they would
become subject to taxation and contri-
er forms Of local government. Private
enterprise and not government owner
ship has made the Mississippi valley
what it is and the people of the Rocky
Mountains feel that the development of
their states should be as free and un.
trammeed as that of the Mississippi val
ley
They recognize what President Roose-
welt says about encouraging the settler
and the home seeker, but they are con
vinced that homesteading will not be en-
oouraged by leasing system. The his
tory of strife over the occupation of land
in the range region would give anything
but encouragement to the homestead
ers to enter upon leased land, however
valid might be their legal right to make
such entries
There is no antagonism to President
Roosevelt in the minds of the ma iority
of the men who will attend the ap-
preaching convantion. They may differ
with him in respect of certain questions
of policy affecting matters of the deepest
interest to them in common with other
residents of the Far West, but they will
retain as strongly as of old their esteem