Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-06-28
G IN G R X
s NH p s
BY ;
q HIT,


Denver Land Convention was great
fasco. 1t is not often that u scheme
so deliberately conceived and authori-
tativciy engineered so greatly fails oi
its purpose. The scheme was to CON
denim the federal administrators re-
cent plans for conserving the national
resources in the interests Of the COM
mon people; and to give to that CON
| demnation the weight OF seeming
popular demonstration. II was neces-
sary to get out big gathering. in or
der to have the appearance oil vox
populi. And then II was necessary
to keep the big meeting from eS'
pressing its honest sentiments. Nay
more than that; II was necessary 10
so pack the meeting as to get ma
joriiy endorsement OF what the whole
body OF delegates was far from be-
lieving. and get Il In the form Of written
resolutions.
Such a trick as that Land Conven-
ton coterie devised is not an easy
one to execute. The leading OF a
body Of 500 to GOO reasonably intclli-
gent American citizens into corral
and putting n specific brand ON the
whole bunch before they can find out
that they are trapped. is no easy
liz X. II would scarcely be under
/ taken by anybody else than such men
rs corrallcd state legislature and
crammcd GuHHcnhcim down It's
| throat. Nothing but the confident
| assurance that comes OF success IN n
few such tricks As that one will war
rant the undertaking of such an one
as this late Land Convention.
That Convention would seem to
have been set on foot in Washing
ton, righ, under the nose Of Presi-
dent Roosevelt. That may have been
how he came to smell mouse" and
so got his official representatives on
the ground ready and loaded for bear
when the convention opened. II he
hadn't done this the scheme would
surely have gone through, for all the
lesser friends that Teddy had in the
convention sure had the lid put on
them. They didn't stand a ghost OF
show as to a hearing. Every time
ono Of them raised his hand. or his
voice. he was gently admonishcd 10
sidc his time: to wait until the ap-
| pointed speakers had spoken. Which
meant until those speakers had man.
ufaeturcd tho popular sentiment"
chat was to be worked into the Res
olutions." These latter could speak
to the resolutions in due timc-whcn
there wasn't going to be no time
left"
Be.innin. in Washington. and hav-
ing with malice aiorcihousht selected
for hgurchcad that venerable wibbly-
wobbiy little gentleman Senator Tel
Ter. with his double-cross party at
citations and his ilorid rhetoric and
lame logic. the scheme came on to
Colorado and go, the doubtful pres
,igc of a Sixteenth Assembly order
for its converting. BY this time the
thing looked quite imposing; and no
one would have supposed that all /,
had behind i, was few fellows.
(;hc number OF whom could be count
cd on the fingers OF one hand) like
Congressman Tom Carter of Mon
;ana and Representative Mondcll OF
Wyoming; men whose interests in
sheep and cattle ranges and coal and
ore and timber claims cover a larger
area than some whole nations of Eur
opc: such men as Frank Hubbcll and
solomon Luna of New Mexico, who
control each 4 million acres or more
of the public domain; who get first
1 high price for mutton and second 4
protective tariff on their wool, and
arc now kicking because they cannot
have the whole earth SO to speak Tor
pasture without paying even so much
as small pasture fee. Just think OF
the probability OF that sort OF 4 fcl-
low lying awake nights worrying
about the poor little homesicadcr be-
ing unable to buy a quarter section ot
the government, or to cut few fence
posts for his little pasture lot. Think
OF the eminent attorney general OF
the c. L. & |. who had n sea, on the
platform. being there thru sheer
commiseraiion for the fellow who
pays 50 ton for coal, and takes 1t
when the coal land corporations see
fit to mine it.
1t was perfectly charming. ! am
told by the Land Convention dele
gates from Rocky Ford. to see the
beautiful suavity with which the po-
litieal pope OF Colorado stood by
these fellows with large interests.
There is something no ordinary fell
low can quite resist in the Govern
or's manner, The way in which he
blandly wen, on from his address of
welcome to adroitly put Congressman
Garter into the ehairmauship of the
meeting. and another of the Sym
oathiEers" into the Sccrctaryship, was
SIMPLY paralyzing TO the rank and file