, 1908-05-01
BELIEVES THAT THE PEOPLE OF
THE WEST WILL BE ABLE TO
REACH A SATISFACTORY
CONCLUSION.
A Law Protecting Lands Immediately
Ajacent to Small Holdings the
Thing Desirable-Has Faith that
the 320-acre Homestead Bill May
Become a Law-Next Session
Should Do Something.

Mr.. Fl. B. Goldsmith of Wheatland,
Wyo., has transmitted to The Repub-
lican a letter from Senator Clarence
d. Clark hat is of great Importance to
the people of this state at the present
time. 1t is given in full, as follows:
Committee on the Judiciary, United
States Senate, March 20, 1908. Mr.. II
b. Goldsmith, Wreatland, Wyoming,
My Dear Sir; have our of March 7,
written with reference TO the range
question, and have perused the same
with a great deal Of interest. realize
that the only true method of arriving
at a correct solution of questions OF
great Importance these conflicting
views and conflicting interest are
often involved is by open and free
consultation. | agree with you that
the problem of u public lands and
their occupancy is at the present time
perhaps the most important question
at the front in Wyoming, and that the
divergent views as to the wisdom of
the policies suggested by this and that
one render it impossible to arrive at
a just conclusion upon the spur of the
with the various difficulties that sur
round the small ranchmen and those
who desire to make small ranches upon
our public domain, as well as with
those confronting owners of larger
focks and herds. think that one
difficulty is that there has been a mis-
understanding as to the various pro.
posals that have been made.
There has not yet been introduced
any proposition looking to the leasing
of any portion of the government do
main. This proposition was taken up
in a tentative way some three or four
years ago, but the bureau of forestry,
or rather the chief of that bureau, pre-
sented a counter proposition that the
range should be controlled in mucn
the same n as the forest reserves
now are, and that is upon a permit
system. OF course, this system,
if once inaugurated, would fore
stall the system of leasing. The
discussion up to this time has been
almost entirely upon the proposition
of the department of agriculture and
the bureau of forestry. To be per
fectly candid and frank, 1 do not be-
lieve that this system, which has as its
latest exponent the so-called Burkett
bill, ought to become a law. Nor do
think that many who are now support
ing that bill would do so if they
thought that it absolutely p%recluded
the possibility of absolute individual
control of any definite portions of the
public lands, as 1t does.
My own belief is that some sort of
a law duly protecting the lands i'm
mediately adjacent to occupied hold
ing will be the thing that will finally
work out. Even this can only be done
by substantial agreement or compro-
mise among the western members and
senator's in congress. While not per-
sonally interested in an acre of public
land, I am intensely interested in hav-
ing this range question finally settled
in such a way as will work to the best
interests of all our people.
Within the last thirty days the rep.
resentatives of the various western
states and senators from those states
have practically agreed upon a bill
providing for a three hundred and
twenty acre homestead, and with their
united support there is little question
in my mind that it will rass and be.
come a law. With the same unanim-
ity of action and the same free. fair