, 1907-01-18
MISTAKEN NEGATIVE POLICY.

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hockmasters Of Wyoming did not ar
rive Mt some definite, positive conclu,
sion MS to their wishes in the matter
Of the administration Of the public do
main, Their resolutions voice no def
mite policy, but are simply a protest
against everything that has been pro
posed by the national government. Inc
endorsement of the policy suggested
by Governor Brooks appears to have
been the overwhelming sentiment OF
the convention. What Is that policy?
The following is the governors OWL
summary: What Wyoming needs Is
to be left alone and given the oppor'
tunity to work out her own salvation
with as little interference by the gen
eral government as possible"
In other words, the governor and the
sheep men would have Uncle Sam keep
hands off, permit the Illegal fences to
remain as they are, allow those who
are at present inclined to commit FRAUD
continue with as little interference
as possible on the part Of the general
government, and. in ine, to permit a
continuance ii the present Illegal pos
session of hundreds of thousands OF
acres of the public domain, rather than
to evolve some system whereby there
can be legal possession. Let us
a~lone!" That is the cry of the man
who is in possession. But how does
this policy strike the man who is not
in possession of any OF the public do
main-thc free range that is now con
trolled almost to m acre? Under the
law the outsider has just as much
right as the mar who now holds pos
session. Such a system cannot be per
manent In tue very nature of things
1t must Don pass away. There must
be legal possession, and no administra-
tive officer or organization of men can
consistently advocate in the name OF
the states best interests any other pol
Icy.
Wyoming as n state Us now leasing
its school lands and is deriving a hand
some revenue therefrom, Recently the
state commissioner of public lands
advertised that he had 100000 acres
for disposal and received applications
for more than 500, 900 acres, This was
conclusive evidence as to the demands
of the people for the leasing privilege.
1t must be remembered, too, that there
was a general understanding that the
state would insist upon %five-cent land
or higher. Much of the land in ques-
ton went for more than five cents per
acre. Neither Governor Brooks nor
the sheep men of the state would be
willing TO give up the leasing of state
lands and throw them open to the So
called free range privilege, and yet.
from their free range standpoint, is 1t
not logical hat they should advocate
such a policy? What IS sauce for the
government goose ought to be relished
by the state gander.
In the report on systems of leasing
large areas of grazing land made by the
public land commission it was recon-
meHded hat the price per acre be not
less than one-half cent nor more than
five cents per acre per annum, or, when
the permit is granted on a per capita
basis, not less than five cents per head
per season for small stock or 20 cents
for large stock; the money received
for permits to constitute a fund out OF
which shall be paid the cost of admin
~istration, the balance of the receipts
to be applied to the construction and
maintenance of roads in the several
grazing districts, the sun to be appor-
toned to a particular district to be, as
nearly as may be, in accordance with
the revenue derived from that district.
1t will be seen from the foregoing
that the general government is no in
clined to take one cent of the revenue,
but seeks to apply it TO beneficial pur-
poses in the states wherein 1t is rails
ed. The grazing rates, too, can GER
tainly not be complained of. Suppose
the average rate were three cents per
acre. Would it not be more satisfac-
tory, yea more profitable, to have alb
solute possession under the law at three
cents per acre, han to follow the pres
ent nomadic, uncertain conditionsc Is
it not worth something to be able to
ent nomadic. uncertain conditions? Is !
it not worth hundreds of thousands OF
dollars to the people OF Wyoming who
are engaged in the live stock business
to be able to save their fences and
carry on their business within the limit
of the law?
What is most to be feared from such
actions as that just taken by the Wyo
ming woolgrowers is that their spirit
of ~antagonism to any action whatever
will result in nothing being done by the
present session of congress and the
consequent removal OF all fences now
existing Illegally on the public domain