, 1907-04-05
THE WYOMING CATTLE BARONs.

The Leader in an editorial comment
on the stockgrowers' meeting held in
Cheyenne Tuesday, refers continually
to the cattle barons' with the evident
purpose of misleading the public into
believing that the meeting was in the
control Of extensive interests who are
in monopoly of the range and who are
seeking to have n range law passed
to confirm them in their holdings TO
the exclusion of the settler, the farmer
and the little rancher.
Just the opposite is true.
The Tribune Tuesday published the
list of the stockmen who were present
at the meeting and who took an active
part in Its proceedings.
This list will show that the great
majority were Laramie county men
who have comparatively small hold
ings of land mi livestock and who
are seeking not to increase the mum.
Der of their stock but to improve the
quality of both stock and land.
Among those present were w. S.
Carpenter, Neil Clark, ]. c. Under
wood, Charles Hitshew, Raymond
Henke, Paul Brewster, the Whitakers,
the Thomas brothers, Donald Melon.
aid, Van l.. Guilford and a dozen others
who are seldom heard Of except at
shipping time when a few of them get
together and make up n train load of
fat cattle which forms the only ship
ment they make but which for some
reason or other brings the best prices
on the Omaha market. .
These were among the men who
We're the most nervous, the most exclt.
ed for fear the lease resolutions would
not pass, while the only two men who
made any sort of stand against leasing
We're Governor Brooks n l.. G.
Phelps, probably the wealthiest men
in their w right there, and both of
whom already have considerable range
under control.
Many of the lease adherents were
no more or less than bona fide settlers,
who found they must improve their
stock and ranches rather than extend
hem and who regard a law that will
permit them to lease, as a meal Of
stock is ever now feeding.
In fact the opposition to the anti
lease resolution arises in a large meas
IRE no doubt because the men who
were its warmest supporters at the
meeting were not little men like them
,Alx-aC hrt -,N. ~-l ,~-.aa, - NJ
acreages.
Even the imperturable AL Bowie was
regarded with some suspicion because
the Swan Land and Cattle company
has gone into the sheep business and
might therefore oppose a lease.
The cattlemen who were most con-
cerned in the proceedings of Tuesday
were anything but "barons' and if the
Leader editor had beer there he would
have seen it.
The anxiety of these little stockmen
for a lease law is explained with much
clearness by a young rancher with
whom the editor of this paper held an
interview.
Il have a little ranch" said this man.
with a good water right and with
n reasonable stretch Of free range.
Il can not run a great many cattle
because 1 haven't the money to buy
them so l am improving as best l can
II fenced as did all my neighbors
to keep my cattle where l wanted them
without having to ride after them all
the time. A summer pasture n a
winter pasture with a little watching
when the poison weed came, and my
stock could take care of themselves.
II didn't need to employ any help on
the range SO l could spend the summer
improving my ranch. l extended my
hayfields, made new bitches and even
did considerable farming and planned
to do more Some OF the folks up our
way who are better fixed than l AM
have real farms and orchards and in
time would IL permitted to control
their range as it has been done would
have done more and more farming and