, 1908-02-18
Terms Of Subsc
A SUMMING UP.

publican has published from time to
time numerous letters upon the range
question. These letters have come
from people living In various portions
OF the county and have been OF an ear.
nest, logical and convincing nature. Al
most without exception they have set
forth the actual conditions that have
existed IN the communities from
whence they came. In every case 1t ia
agreed that more homes are needed.
The little stockman argues hat range
control would give the homeseeker and
the small ranchman a better opportun.
ity. Mr.. Bell, Mr.. Boylan, Mr.. Kinlcy
and Mr.. White argue from a different
standpoint. Mr.. Bell reaches the con.
clusion that range control would be dis
astrous TO the small stockman and the
settler, Mr.. Boylan urges that the for
est reserves should be open to the
sheepmen indiscriminately, Mr.. Kin
ley takes up a personal matter with
Mr.. Olson and Mr.. White, being a mail
carrier, Is opposed to range control be
cause 1t would make more fences and
cause him to get out from under the
robes oftener to open and close gates.
In every section of the county the
small ranchman tells the same story.
Unless he can get some measure of r.
lief he must give up and permit the
large sheepmen to have their sway.
There is at the present time just one
exception in the county-the Meii.
cine Bow National forest, where the
government divides the range and
treats everybody with exact justice.
1t Is the rule there, however, to help
a poor man to make a living rather
thar a rich man to make a profit.
Over in the Sheep creek and Little
Medicine country it is the testimony OF
the small settlers that the conditions
are almost intolerable and they must
soon give up, The Republican has the
opinion Of one OF the best posted men
on the conditions that exist in the
northern portion of the county tina he
does not see how one of the small
ianchman can survive. He believes
that every man of them must sooner
or later yield to the inevitable and
leave he country. Ask L. l.. Laughlin,
John McGill, the Beans, the Coles, the
Marshalls, the Camerons, the NewellS,
the G~illespies and a dozen others what
the result must be under the existing
conditions. II the future can BIZ mea.
sured by the experience of the past,
the trend must be backward instead of
forward. There are dozens OF places
where once wellimproved ranches and
happy homes existed where now there
is nothing but d%esolation. Valuable
improvements have either been remov.
ed or allowed to go to ruin and the
.insidious aggression of the ~all-conqusr-
ing sheep business has moved on and
on. Ranch after ranch has been COB.
tled up, stream after stream has been
covered and every small spring and WA
ter hole has fallen prey to this con-
stant reaching for more and more.
The time has come when there is lit.
tie more water in the state to cover.
The game is practically blocked. The
condition that Governor Brooks de-
scribes in his pastures exists almost
over the entire state. He has stated
the case clearly, and with greater EN-.
phasis than The Republican could pos
sibly state it. Our company has kept
u many settlers by leasing state
lands. That is why we leased them,
and that is why We pay the state from
3 to % cents per acre for them; simply
for our own exclusive use and to pre-
vent others from getting them"
The same thing has been done 10
every county in the state until the wa
ter has become exhausted. until the
chance for a poor man upon the great
grazing areas of the state are practi'
cally nil.
What is the best thing to be done'
Settlers are unable to buy outright
ever If such a law were passed. None
but the rich can purchase lands in suf.
fcient blocks to engage in the stock
business. Poor men cannot even at'
ford to buy in annual payments, but a
great many of them are able to pay the
mall rental that would be required uu.
der a reasonable and equitable lease
law. A man could file a homestead
upon the public domain, place his i'm
provements thereon and have a splen-
old show to make a living provided
he wa permitted to lease a few hun