, 1908-01-14
A SPIRIT OF INTOLERANCE.

occasion to pass n number of resolu,
tions, breathing a spirit of intolerance
throughout. BY the hardest kind of
work on the part of powerful men in
the convention, n resolution of a Sc,
ditious nature condemning the presi,
dent of the United States was killed.
but there were tw~enty-three votes re.
corded against the motion to kill
the resolution. One of the resolu-
tions condemned this paper for It's
opinions upon public land matters, tho
leaders of this association of men not
being willing TO accord to others that
fair, open expression of opinion they
would demand for themselves. Such
intolerance and bigotry is unworthy
Of the men of this period. But the
most ridiculous thing about the entire
matter is the fact that a number of the
men who voted for this very resolu-
ton have repeatedly voted for the
same policy they now condemn The
Republican for advocating. In e
session of the Albany County Wool
Growers association, so far as this
paper is advised, excepting the last
one, resolutions have been passed ia
voring some form of lease law. In the
last meeting of the association such
n resolution vas not passed, but the
so-called "Pinchot policies" were op.
posed. One of the members of the
committee on resolutions advised the
editor of The Republican that the com.
mittee had decided to leave all refer,
ence to the leasing of the public do,
main out of their resolutions, but that
Albany county sheepmen favored a
reasonable lease law. AS late as last
summer the Albany county association
sent a delegation to Denver instructed
to favor a lease law, and now members
of that association have the effrontery
to go into a state association and con
denim this paper for what they them,
selves have been openly and notorious
ly advocating. Is there a parallel case
in the history of free speech or the
freedom of the press?
Life is too short to waste in discus
sing the resolutions of men who Ia
vor one thing in February, another
thing in June and still another tho
following January. They are blown
hither and thither with every Wyo-
ming wind, The Republican has ia
vored a reasonable lease law for more
than a decade. Articles may be found
in the files of The Republican discus
sing this proposition in a favorable
light as early as 1875, when State
Engineer Elwood Mead handled the
question SO intelligently.
Some of the leaders in the Laramie
meeting of the Wyoming Wool Grow
ers' association will doubtless regret
their Incorporate utterances when the
heat of the occasion has fully passed.
The contact with hot heads doubtless
led many to do and say things they
would not have done as individuals.
For illustration, we find even the ex,
ecutive of the state belittling the oper-
atoms of the United States federal Of
fcials in Wyoming by characterizing
their work as spectacular and saying
hat the smoke they have raised has
been almost s~uffocating. We quote
from the governors language:
I'VE have witnessed the proper pros
ecutions, and in some instances, con-
v~iction, of ~malefactors who have In
lawfully acquired large areas of the
public domain. We all agree that such
prosecutions are right and proper; but
il was Unnecessary to make a spectacu.
lar display of this matter. IN WYO-
MING PARTICULARLY, the percent,
age of actual fraud so far discovered
has been almost mill, and yet, despite
so little actual fire, THE SMOKE HAS
BEEN ALMOST SUFFoCATING."