, 1908-01-18
THE OPINION OF ROBERT TAYLOR

THE OPINION OF ROBERT TAYLOR.
One of the best known stockmen of
all the west is Robert Taylor, at one
time senator from Natrona county.
His home was in that county for a
number of years and he still has in
terests in Wyoming. He has been In
the stock business for a period of more
than thirty years n his opinion il of
great value. AT washington last Feb
ruary he gave his opinion to the sen
ate committee as follows:
We'll, senators II gentlemen, a
good deal of the ground has been cover.
ed. | can only speak from an expert,
ence of thirty years in the stock bust
ness. reaching from California into
wyoming, Montana and Nebraska. and
covering all kinds of stock-sheep, cat
tie, goats, horses and hogs. That Is
what experience | have had. EXCEPT
ing in the case of my Nebraska held
ings, all these years | have been a par.
taker of Uncle Sans bounty on the
open range; and | want to say in a lew
words that, looking back over these
thirty years, l see a trail of blood from
California-from the Pacific coast al
. A. ,ln NtIgs,,Yt riyar This Is
within my personal knowledge. l have
seen a-ssassinations; l have known
stock TO be killed and manned II
destroyed, and | have seen property
DESTROYED and a spirit of lawlessness
e~ngendered among the stockmen that
l think is u menace TO any good gov
eminent or any good nation. That mas
been my experience n therefore, al
though / have been n participant in
the benefits, such as they are, OF the
free range system for years, l have
always contended that the only safe
and sane plan was to nave these ranges
controlled. That is my position.
Il will say that wherever there has
been, in my experience, any leasing
lone by the state or any parties own
ing land, it has always been a success
and a settlement of all troubles
During the same hearing before the
senate committee, DIR. Wilson of this
state also made a statement. He was
touched by the angelic disposition OF
some evidently, for we find the FOL
lowing in his remarks:
Il wondered, when nearly all the
others were speaking to you, why it
was they did not have wings, because
they were all so wonderfully solicit
tous about the homeSteader and the
home-builder. Read the history of the
west with the great companies, and
see the immense solicitude they had
then, when men were ever hung for
taking homesteads in ranges supposed
to belong to somebody else, but actual
ly belonging TO the government"
These gentlemen have put the mat
ter plain and forcible. Robot Taylor
says that he has witnessed a trail of
blood from California to Nebraska, and
DR.. Wilson corroborates this testimony
by saying that men were hung for
supposed to belong to somebody else,
but actually belonging to the govern
ment" But their testimony is not
needed to convince the men of the
west. who have beer personally cog
infant of it all for the period of theit
lives in the stock regions. They know
that without some restraining power
to protect the small stockman, mis-
rights are ruthlessly brushed aside,
and that the homestead settler if not
actually hung, as stated by DR.. Wilson,
has his life made so miserable that he
had just as we'll be.
Legal possession is the only soll
ton. AS long as there is no one who
has a legal right to Craze over GER
tain lands and say to his n%eighbors,
This is my range by law" there will
be contention, strife and bloodshed and
the stock business will lack that per-
manence it should assume among the
industries of the west.