Gunnison news-champion., 1915-12-24
Stock Growers Take Radical Action
on Important Public Land Question
Transact Much Interesting Business Appointing Delegates State and N.s.
Coaseaaoas and Arranging fa the Annual Festivals
m April and July Next

The Gsnnison county stockmen we're
well represented at their midwInter
meeting on Saturday the 18th. OF the
2eo or more members between forty and
fifty we're present IN the county court
room when G.. T. Sts vsns. as president.
called them % order Ralph Alien. as
secretary. read certain proceedings of
previous meetings and detailed the work
of the committee appointed IN June 10
interview the sheepmen who we're
crowdins onto the cattle range Ii
seems that this sheep question over
shadowed the whole meeting and was
Responsible for much debate. The
stockmen are firmly determined to hold
10 the ancient lines which have been
recognized for twenty years.
One of the first matters brought up
was the question Of handling the public
range which hes in the foothills sur
rounding the valleys and adjacent to the
the committee on resolutions brought
IN the following, which was read and
debated
WHEREAS: The unoccupied, unsp-
propristed public lands lying between
the Gunnison National Forest on the
north and the Cochetops National For
est on the south are Of great vslue to
the settlers and residents adjacent to
them for grazing purposes snd in fact
Indispensable to the successful hsndling
of live stock in this section, this being
the main industry for the high altitude,
il being from z, SO to 10, 90 feet above
sea level, precludes any successful kind
Of agriculture, end.
WHEREAS: These same lanAs hsve
been used for many yesss BY seid sst-
tier and residents Tor grssinG thsir I'VE
stock in spring and fall, they feeding
them upon their ranches in winter,
thereby making these residents pros
porous and contented people, and
WHEREAS: There is nov great dan
ger of these lands being over run and
eaten out by large bands of sheep from
Utah and Oregon grazed in summer and
shipped out in the fall leaving the set
tier and permanent resident no place for
their stock, thus putting out Of bust
ness the small sheepmen and small cat
tlemen and greatly deteriorating the
value of their ranch lands.
THEREFORE,, BE 1T RESOLVED,
by the Gunnison County Stock Growers
Association, this 18th day of December,
1875, that we earnestly ask the Congress
of the United States to provide some
method for the control of the grazing
upon these lands with the full provision
for their settlement under the general
land Jaws.
Dated this 18th day of December,
1915
By the resolutions committee,
Clifford H. Stone, Chairman
T. W. Gray,
f. A. Foster
T. W. Gray was the principal speaker
in favor of the resolution, and read a
very interesting letter from Congress-
man Taylor in regard to any plan to put
the remaining public lands under forest
control. Mr.. Taylor detailed how when
in response to petitions from other 10
calities in Western Colorado. he had in
troduced a bill TO this effect it WAS
violently opposed by the Interior de-
partment. 1t seems that after the forest
reserves were nicely established some
ten years ago, a bunch of smart lawyers
worked three and half million dollar
graft by making the government pay
the Ute Indians a dollar and a quarter
an acre for all the original reservation
included in the forests. ThisUte Indian
reservation land, with its pre-emption
rights, takes up all of Western Colora-
do lying beyond the lO7th meridian. a
line running north and south some four
miles west of Gunison.
The resolution IS very radical one
and may be sand to reverse the long es-
tablished policy of the Gunnison stock
men 1t does not in precise terms ad-
vocste the Ferris leasing bill II. F.
Lake Jr. called attention to the fact
that if this movement is aimed to keep
out sheep. it was a dangerous plan, for
unquestionabiy the forestry people were
getting ready to introduce sheep
throughout the Gunnison forest, particu-
larly on the high ranges. The Denver
papers, especially the Shaffer publica
tions which hitch close to the conservation
barn. have been filed with articles for
several months trying to prepare the
minds of Colorado citizens for such a
step. The forestry bureau like any
bureau from a distant center, always
wants more money. 1t needs the money
for additional salaries and folderols that
inevitably means sheep. and to put
oil the rest of our public range IN its
control leaves the stockmen without