The Washington herald., 1921-04-01
ONE OF COLORADO's
GREAT LEADERS PASSES

Every Western State owes a great
debt for the development of its
natural resources and the establish
ment of the institutions 1t has to-
day to few big men, Paul Bates.
Denver mining man, said the other
day at the Raleigh.
He had just heard Of the death
In Denver of Owen E. LIE Feyre.
one of Colorado's best-known pio-
neer builders. a man who since 1888
has devoted every atom of his en-
ergy to promoting the welfare of
the community which he made his
home after leaving Ohio more than
half. century ago.
lie Fevre, who was greatly re-
spected throughout the State, was
zone of the greatest pioneer figures
Sthe West has had, in the opinion
of Bates.
Although lie Fevre was a lawyer
by profession, and took a notable
part in the politics of his State,
he was best known as a mining
man and agricvlturist, Mr.. Bates
said.
Most of the lie Fevre fortune
was made in silver" continued Mr..
Bates. lie Fevre and several as
sociates went into Creede and
risked fortune in the New York
Chance mine. when those men
went in they did not know whether
they would make the project a
success, but fate decreed that they
should all make fortunes out of IT.
and they did
This first mining operation gave
lie Fevre a competence. but he was
not satisfied to retire with that. In
stead. he used II as a means for pro-
noting the welfare of the COM
munity in which he lived. and of his
State as whole.
FIRST TO APPRECIATE
AGRICULTURAL WEALTH.
He was one of the first men to
realize the agricultural possibilities
which lay in the arid lands of Colo-
rado. Those around him saw few
opportunities in that desert sand,
but the vision and ina gination of
lie Fevre saw Fertile farms and
'trainloads of products leaving for
the East. And 50 he purchased a
large tract east of Denver, and
equipping 1t with the necessary ma
chinery and providing irrigation.
farms of Colorado. After he had
demonstrated that crops couli be
proftably grown. others followed"
Today the average value of farm
land in Colorado is s31.?2 per acre.
This estimate, made by the Federal
Census Bureau, makes the value
nearly twice the figure reported by
county assessors in 1920. The asses
ha II val IN nf
$16.45 per acre on the land.
Due to improved methods of irri-
cation and increasing interest in
agriculture, there has been in the
last ten years an increase of more
than 100000 acres in farm land
in the State, with an advance of
s5.21 an acre in average value.
Colorado is taking an active in
terest in the improvement of its
school system. Bates says. figures
for the last two years showing
gain of $3,500,000 in expenditures
for school purposes. Increased,
taxes have been levied in the last
two years for educational needs and
the money has been spent chiefly for
teachers salries, new buildings and
equipment.
SLIM EDUCATIONAL
BUDGET Is SURPRISE.
Bates declared that he was aston
ished to read in one of the WASH
ington papers of the inadequate
educational facilities provided by
Congress for the school children of
Washington.
81 have never considered the mat
ter before" said Bates. but at first
thought, l should have expected to
find Washington schools among the
best in the country. Indeed, the
schools of the National Capital
should be an example of what the
United States can do in this respect
Surely one would expect that such
cramped space as current reports
would indicate is working such
hardship on the children of the Dis
trict would excite the interest and
attention of Congress.
"The suggestion that the surplus
funds of the District now in the
Treasury be extended for new
schools, since no other source OF
revenue is available. strikes me as
a happy solution of the difficulty
II the District has no indebtedness
now, why run up bills and pay in
terest when there is plenty of money
on hand?" F. w. G.