The Washington herald., 1911-11-12

ground banquet will not soon fade. Some
one said the Wyoming coal veins were
so large that ii would be a simple matter
TO hew out caverns as large as the Will
lard Hotel or the WaIdorf-Astoria.
The State of Wyoming far from resem-
bies hall bedroom in its make-up-there
is room to turn around" by the hundreds
of miles. Therefore, it seems strange
that in shifting from one locality to an
other one must, in many instances, retire
To an adjoining State in order to get on
the right road. This happens when one
wishes to reach Central Wyoming from
the northern part OF the State a piece
Of Montana and a corner of South Dakota
are included in a journey into Nebraska,
where one must go in order to reach the
Chicago and Northwestern's Wyoming
branch.
The Northwestern Is striving TO bisect
Wyoming and has gotten as far West as
Lander in its undertaking. The line tra-
verses a succession OF fertile valleys,
gathers in the proceeds Of many a cattle
roundup, takes countless sheep into Chi
cago annually, and literally helps itself
tc the traffic of the rapidly developing oil
regions around Casper and Lander.
Live Stock Its Pride.
Just within the border Of the State,
as one enters from the east, Is the little
prairie town of Lusk. Although but a
settlement OF 400 souls, there are ten
automobiles owned there-one machine
for every forty people. Lusk showed US
samples Of its blooded range cattle, Its
high-bred horses, and a band Of Shrop-
shire sheep, which, 1t was alleged, had
never chewed a mouthful Of food that
was not cropped from the range.
Douglas and Casper are prominent
L. r,FT IT,.
are located fifty miles apart on the
Northwestern in wide, fruitful valleys.
These towns, first one and then the
other, descend on the legislature every
other winter ana give Cheyenne cold and
dismaying chills by proposing to remove
the capital to the central and more rep
resentative part of the State.
All Want the Capital.
The town OF Lander, 10 miles farther
west and nesting close to the Rockies,
also joins in the capital-baIting game
now and then. Between the raids OF
these three lusty towns and an occa-
sional onslaught by Sheridan, in the
Northern country, Cheyenne is kept
largely In a state OF siege, with citizens
ready to man the batteries at the first
alarm. At the present writing, with a
S6,OoOO army post located there, with
the substantial support of the Union
Pacific, with prosperous hotels and COM
modious theaters, with plenty Of con-
verging stock interests, with electric
street railways, and an enterprising,
healthy population of 5000 Cheyenne
bids fair to hold her own for many years
to come as the capital of Wyoming. It
must be admitted, however, that the
town is inconveniently located geographi-
cally to represent the State altogether
satisfactorily as a capital. 1t has
rather high altitude, too, and for these
reasons IT can continue to expect the
biennial raids of those lusty young towns,
to which nothing Is too serious for
aspiration.
1t may be truthfully said that II there
were the slightest show of dislodging
Washington, d. c., as the Capital of the
United States, every one of these vigor-
Gus Central Wyoming cities would jump
in and claim the plum-not only claim
It, but prove conclusively that the nation
were going to pot unless Uncle Sam
moved his Offices there.
II would require volumes to tell the
complete story of Wyoming Of to-day
There is an array OF opportunity there
that fairly startles the observer It Is
the last OF the frontier. Much as they
love the old associations, the Wyoming
people are willing ito see the frontier
farmers and miners.
Why Canada, Mr.. Emigrating Farmer,
when millions Of productive acres await
reclamation and settlement In .ths fairest
part Of our own ccuntEyS