Gilpin observer., 1916-07-27
FARMERS WISE TO
"HERD law DANGER.
CITY DWELLER IN DARK
Fight Against Disguised Fencemeasure Turned to City
and Town. Eleventh Hour Petitions for Bill Circu-
lated in Pettish Anger by Backers, and
Disclose Strange Things

rather Lnan on tue TuIdi uiotAASeS'
is to be centered the continued fight
of farmers organizations and civic
and commercial clubs OF the state
against the so-called "herd-law," peti-
tions for the initiating Of which were
filed last week with the secretary
of state at Denver. With surprising
facts cleaned from a careful checking
OF the signatures attached to the petit
tions, opponents Of the measure say
they are convinced the farmers and
cattlemen thruout the state are al
most unanimously opposed to the pro-
bosed law, and that It Is the unthink-
ing city dweller that must be ap-
pealed to to circumvent Its hackers
purposes.
A checking of the 10000 names on
the petitions disclosed the fact that
$4,000 of the number were names OF
persons living in Denver, persons
who 1t Is safe to say have little direct
interest in laws affecting the agricul-
tural districts of the state. and whom
it was easy to mislead with specious
statements that they were giving
their support to measure patterned
after the herd laws of other states,
and beneficial to the new settlers and
the small farmers. And the further
somewhat startling fact that the 12.-
900 names were added to the petit
tions in two days-July and July
many weeks after the first 5000
were obtained, by whirlwind cam
paign of hired circulators operating
from the office of the Denver Post
and its auxiliary organ, the Great Di-
vide, strengthens the contention that
the farmers of the state have awak-
ened to the real truth, to the real
ization that the measure is not in
reality in any way herd law, but
fence law-which repeals the eff
fcacious fence law already on the
statute books-with dangerous poten-
tialities, with certain assurance of
harmful effect on tillers of the soil,
large and small, on the states future
promise of settlement, on the raisers
of stock little and big.
Farmers Awake to Danger.
The petitions containing the first
5000 names we're sprinkled literally
1t is pointed out, with the signatures
of dwellers in the small towns OF
farming communities and farmers
particularly in the irrigating districts
But that was when the measure. with
it's plausibly perpetrated appeal as
proposed law aimed at predatory
cattle barons and sanctuary OF
safety for the struggling small farmer
was first sprung on the unsuspectine
public. 1t was pictured measure
patterned after excellent herd laws oi
other states. 1t promised to drive
grasping cattle barons out of bust
ness. Painted in glowing colors that
are habit of life with the propa
sandist campaigns OF the Denver
Post was the future Of the farmer IL
Colorado once he had taken the chilC
of the Great Divide to suckle and sus
tain.
But thinking farmers of the state
did not long delay in studying thu
seemingly satisfactory measure. AnC
they made discoveries Within
short time every organization OF th'
state made up of and representing
the best interests of the farmer ant
cattlemen came out in unalterable OF
position to what it was plainly evi
dent was only another log rollin
scheme of the Post and its weekl
mouthpiece. Within short time tn
measure stood, but wabbled on weal
legs, with the Denver Post chan
pioning II. and against it
The Farmers Grange, The Farm
ers' Union, The Colorado Stockgrov
ers Association. The Colorado Stat
Dairymen's Association, The Denve
Civic and Commercial Association
Commercial Organizations of Cite
and Towns in Every Part of Colorado
Business Men and Stock Farmers |
Every Section of the State.
Appeal Proved Fallaeious.
Those organizations had not bee
slow to perceive the iniquitous poss
bilities of the proposed law. The
were not long in coming to the co
viction that irreparable injury to IL
state was sure to follow its enaC
ment. Punctured was the bomba
tically blown bubble Of the Posts n
peal for a rally against the catt
baron-it was disclosed that instei
OF terrifying and predatory barol
owning great herds and driving
limbo of poverty the small ranch
and small stock grower, the avera
herd of cattle in Colorado numbe
only fifty head. The proposed met
ure was shown up not herd law, n
law similar to the herd law OF a
state in the union, but fencing Ii
that would compel every struggli
settler. every owner Of small fal
in the state to fence his lands or
hire herder to protect himself frt
unscrupulous men who by the me
ure's provisions could take adva
age OF him. The cunningly word
bill makes the farmer liable for da
age II his stock strays on the pr