, 1907-02-01
THE BILL.

1t is n matter of some regret that
all the members OF the Wyoming Press
association cannot agree upon a pub
LEFTY measure that viii be of great
value to the state. In order that The
legislature may know the exact facts,
o brief tatemen will not be amiss,
At the meeting of the press associa.
ton at the Cheyenne club. TO when
Mr. F., H. Barrow refers and ut when
n reorganization of the association was
made there was a general discussion
of n proposed bill providing for a de
partment of Immigration and Mr., Bar
row was finally asked 10 make a draft
of a bill that would GmbOdy in the
main the general ideas expressed. Mr..
Draper was requested to present the
bill, when agreed upon, to the legls-
lature. Many different views were eN-
pressed, the main idea being that Wy
oming should adopt more effective
methods of bringing itself to the at
tention OF the outside world. 1t was
understood at this meeting that the
draft of the bill was TO be presented
% the members of the association at
IN adjourned meeting, the date OF
which was fixed. At the adjourned
meeting, Mr.. Draper presented the Dill
drawn by Mr.. BarroS. In many re-
Spects 1t was no deemed satisfactory
Pending the adjourned meeting, mem
bers OF the association had talked with
members of the legislature, state Oh
fcers and others, and he coucensus
of opinion appeared 10 be that one OIL
icer could handle the matter to bet
ter advantage than a board, and that
instead of having a clerk to be ap-
pointed for a specified period under
the law the officer in charge ought TO
be permitted to employ such clerical
aid as he deemed necessary. At the
adjourned meeting of the association
1t seemed to be the undivided opinion
of those present that the commission
er of public lands, by reason OF his
position, was the proper officer to take
charge Of the work.
Possibly the office OF commissioner
of public lands was in the minds OF
the members because of the fact that
Mr., Fuller had made report to the
recommending that his Office
be given power to take up immigra'
lion matters, and because of the turth-
IT fact that he had made such an en-
inent success of the management OF
land matters. At any rate, Mr.. Bar
rows rough draft of the bill was mod
flied to this extent and 1t is now up
to the legislature to say whether 1t
would be more profitable to the state
to place this important matter in he
hands of a single individual or a board
1t is nothing individually to any mem
Der of the press association, since Mr..
Barrow avows he is Lot a candidate
for the ~clerkship. Mr.. Draper has in
formed The Republican that he would
under no circumstances accept such Il
position, and therefore Mr.. Barrow,
assault upon him in this respect is un
warranted.
Mr.. Barrow's assumption that he
was the first man to discover b a WY
oming is in need of immigration IL
that something should be done to en-
courage it is also putting 1t a little
strong. Long before Mr.. Barrow be
came the editor of the Sheridan Post
this matter was discussed by Mr.. Full
Ter, and the files of this paper Will dis
close an editorial discussion Of the
subject written many weeks before
the Post entered the immigration
arena III the article referred to The
Republican suggested that the public
land office was the place for the i'm
migration bureau. 1t believes 50 to-
day, for the very good reason that the
public land commissioner must be con
stantly in touch with people coming to
the state.
There does not appear to be enough
difference between the views of Mr.
Barrow and Mr.. Bartlett and the re
mainder of the members of the press
association who have given the mat
ter study to be worth qCarreling about.
The main thing is to have the work
go ahead in the most effective man
ner. If in the Judgment of the legis-
lature a board can handle the matter
better tnan a single officer, all well
and good, put it is the humble juds
ment OF The Republican that one Of
fcer can direct the work better than
three. AS the bill stands it is a good
one.
NON A TnNyDJT kTInN on THE LAW |