The Glenwood post., 1907-11-30
Propased Measure Aimed to
Correct Faults in the
Forest Reserve
MAKES THINGS WORSE

Farmers filed the court room Satur-
day night at the closing session of the
scmi.annual convention of the Farm
ers' club of Eagle, Pitkin and Garfield
counties. Col. b. F. Montgomery of
y 'Meeker presided and the principal ques-
ton brought up for discussion was
whether the bill drafted by Congress
man Bonynge relating to the purchase
of grazing lands should receive the ap
proval of the farmers of this part of
the state.
1t was announced that Mr.. Bonynge
is anxious to learn whether such meas
urcs as he suggested would bring about
a better condition of affairs.
The Farmers club earlier in the day
had passed resolutions calling for re-
forms in the forest re ferve system.
Now Mr. Bonynge IDEAS as eX-
pressed through the proposed new bill
are that all public lands not of practi
cal value for agricultural purposes
shall be subject to private sale in lots
of one, two and three sections. The
purchaser would be required to file
statement telling what he considered
the land to be worth. Then an inspec
tor would he sent by the government
to ascertain the correct valuation, and
the purchaser would be given time in
which to make his payments for the
property.
Many objections were made to this
bill, and Mr.. Bonynge will be notified
that it is the sense of the Farmers
club that he take no such measure
to Washington to present to the house
of representatives. c. H. Harris, w. R.
yer, DIR. Dean, DR.. Lockhart, C. H. Mil
Ter, c. l.. Chattield, and others raised
. their voices in protest, and hardly
sperson present had a good word for Mr..
Bonynge's scheme.
So the congressman will have to take
another tack if he wants the backing of
the farmers of the western slope. Mr..
Drach, for instance, stated that he saw
no reason why all the water on plots
of land so disposed of by the govern
ment could not be cornered.
DR.. Dean believed that large corpo
rations eventually would get hold of
such lands, and become as arrogant as
the coal trust is today. He called at
tention to the fact that while Glenwood
had GOAL miDna M hnr Innr still
the trust kept up the price of the fuel
to an unreasonable figure, and the
miner was not reaping any of the bene
fit.
that he believed the ultimate remedy
for existing troubles in relation to pub
lie lands would be through the reclama
tion of the land and the building of
big reservoirs in the high attitudes. The
marvellous growth of Grand Junction,
of Montrose and of Routt county near
the Snake river was due, said Mr.. Ma
pier, to the reclamation of the lands.
Memorial to Congress Endorsed
He introduced the following resolu
tion, which was unanimously adopted
"Whereas, the sixteenth general as
sembly passed house joint memorial No.
y, asking the government 20 appropri
ate $25O,00O to build reservoir on the
headwaters of Roaring Fork river for
the reclamation of some $4,000 acres
of tillable land
"Therefore, be it resolved, That we,
the members of the Farmers club of
Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties, be
ing familiar with the conditions and
possibilities of the lands mentioned,
heartily endorse said memorial
The meeting closed with an inter
esting talk on the financial situation
and the present methods of banking.
In this discussion a number of well
known citizens took part, including
Mr. f. E. Drach and Mr.. Napier.