, 1907-06-25
SOME STARTLING FIGURES FOR
THE MEN WHO ARE OPPOSED
TO LEASING TO PONDER
OVER AND DIGEST,
A Poll of State Now Being Made Shows
Approximately Ninety Per Cent of
Cattle and Horsemen and Majority
of %Sheepmen Are Favorable to a
Federal Lease Law-Denver Con,
vention Not Representative One.
Special to The Republican

Cheyenne, Wyo., JuLe 25.-The Wyo.
ming Stockgrowers association has
Eeen making a canvass of the stock.
men OF the state for the purpose of as
pertaining the actual sentiment of in
dividual stockmen relating to a fed.
eral lease law. Mr.. Luke Voorhees,,
n of he oldest men in the business,
has been conducting this investigation
and the figures he has obtained are
friendly to leasing,
Many Favor Federal Lease Law.
In an interview today, Mr.. VOORHEES,
said tina the association had received
answers to quesctions sent out from
$50 cattle and horse growers. The
of a federal least law under the control
Of the national authorities. From the
sheepmen SO replies have been receiv
ed and of these As were favorable to q
lease law and 40 We're opposed, show
ing that a majority of the sheepmen
SO far as heard from, favor government
leasing of the range.
Mr. voorhees, is continuing the pol
of the stockmen of the state and it is
his candid opinion that fully 80 pc,
cent of the cattle and horse men and
a majority Of the %sheepmen are favor
able to a federal lease law.
I'VE have 5000 cattle and horse
growers in the State" said Mr.. Voor
hees, "who w from 100 head up to
1000 head, the average being about
$50 head, and in addition to this nun
Der about 5000 me who own from
20 to 100 head of cattle or horses
These owners, $500 in number, OWL
and control, aside from railroad prop
erty, approximately so per cen of the
wealth of the state n give mainten,
ance to at least 10000 of our popula'
ton. They are being hit hard by the
removal of the illegal fences, yet they
are loyal, patriotic citizens INT have
bowed without protest to the mandate
OF the law. Unless they can have re.
lief through an equitable statute pro.
viding for the leasing of the large open
areas of the public domain, they will in
many cases be driven from business or
so seriously crippled that their efforts
will be Improbable.
From my investigations, 1 am de.
cidedly of the opinion that the small
sheep-owners of the state are favorable
to leasing. l am of this opinion be.
cause of the fact that a majority OF
those who have answered the circular
sent to them express themselves over
their signatures as favorable to such a
governmental policy. In the quiet OF
their homes they have reached their
conclusions without the influence OF
high-pressure orators. They are fav'
orable to a leasing policy because they
know that it will give them better
results than open range conditions.
This is not idle conjecture, but is bas.
ed upon actual experience. The best
proof is the fact that the stockmen OF
no country or state that has tried it
are willing to give it up. Texas stands
by her policy and it was notable at the
Denver convention that the men of the
western part of the state within and
near the forest reserves were favorable
to leasing. They said it was their sal.
walton.
In my judgment the Denver onven
ton did not express the sentiment OF
any considerable portion of the stock.
men of Wyoming. The manner in
which it was called and organized pre-.
cluded anything like fairness and at
no time were those who favored leasing
given an opportunity to give expires
sion to their sentiments. The roll vas
never called and from beginning to end
the men who organized the convention
held a tight rein upon all the proceed
ings. In fact, long before the meeting
was held it had become a %foregone con
~clusion that the result would be just
what the manager of the program had
~forecasted.
"The canvass now being made is for
the purpose of giving an opportunity
for an honest expression. The stock.
men of the state have a right to have
their position stated just IS it is"