The Raymer enterprise., 1915-03-11
GRAVES WRITES
FROM LEC|S-
To the Enterprise;

To the Enterprise:
The county sea, bill is still in the
senate committee. think il is gong
to come out early this week. will
admit that nave been Tors sous about
its fate since little bunch OF Greeley
politicians capitalists and attorneys
started out to kill ii couple Of weeks
ago. can not explain to those who
have not been in Denver the prejudice
against The formation of new counties.
Those VINO have been here do know
that II is very strong. II gives the
opponents good strong contingent to
start with. belieye that fourth of
the members OF the legislature are
positively against new counties. no
matter what the conditions. II our
valuation and population we're five
times what 1t is. and the distance ten
times. it would make no difference to
them, they would stil be agains. us.
They are the old timers. who think the
men who came here forty and fifty
years ago have the absolute tight TO
say what should be done and those
OF us who have come in the past doz-
en years have no rights whatever. ex-
cept TO pay taxes. That class will
not listen to me. they would not listen
TO you. You might as well go ont and
try to argue with one Of those winds
that sweep our prairies. With this
condition. II is small wonder that the
action Of the Greeley committee back
ed by their paper caused me some un-
easincss. can't getaway from the
feeling that the Greeley paper did not
give US square deal. but you can
judge OF that as well as can. How
ever, with this prejudice they only
needed tochange a third Of these who
were willing TO consider the bill on its
merits to dffeuf il. Greel.y could
marshal an. army. We only have few.
Greeley can send their delegates here
ON two hours notice at slight expense.
we are remote and the trip an expen-
sive one: time 50 great that the con-
ties. could be lost before we could have
word that il is On.
Well. they came last Friday. They
have had emissaries here before doing
the quiet work. but last Friday they
came before the committee. heard
all Of their testimony. ! understand
that they were pceyed because was
allowed to hear what they had 10 say.
admit was little peeved at
what they said. shall tfg to get
over il, and hope they viii do the
same.
Six men spoke before the committee,
three Of them We're lawyers. two were
bankers and one capitalist. AS
many more backed them up by their
silent presence. | will briefly try to
outline their line Of argument. as a
composite statement Such statement
cannot be fair TO all for ther did not
agree BY a long ways. II we fail. /
shall try and reduce their argument
and testimony to form suitable for n
circular. because in my opinion their
attitude and what they said furnishes
the very best argument why We must
iasve what we are asking for.
5They argued that il was bad thing
both Weld county and the proposed
! ls6onty, because Il would increase taxes
III both sections and give no correspon-
dMg benefit They furnished no tigur-
es AZ To probable increase. proifessing
to have little faith in figures. They
were. however. very free to predict
enormous expenses based on general
principles and estimates OF failure.
which they knew they could see await
ing US. They absolutely wished to
throw away our evidence. based on
careful investigation. and substitute
their guess. based on the most super
fetal investigation. or no Investigation
at all.
II was made very plain that only one
man ofsthe six who spoke would admit
that we had any business over thsre.
Mr.. Tew thought il possible that We
might.make u 81 Of it. The Others
thought we were bunch Of chumps.
and thar We were just there to get a
decd to a piece of land sell it for what
we could get and 50. ard that while
VIC had few people there now, they
would soon be gone. and that The ex-
odus has already begun, In spite Of
this condition. one Of thca delegation