Show f c 4 AT NEGOTIATING TACTICS TACT I. I r BY RUSSELL GERRARD Opinion Editor r. r The Church is in the mid midst t of negotiations wi with h. h th the Bureau of Land Management V- V for the sale of historic Mart Martins Martin's Js J's Cove in Wyoming S 55 r ng Martins Martin's Cove was named after the leader of a group a-group of Mormon handcart art pioneers who were trapped pp there dur- dur C ing ng a blizzard on their way t to o the Salt Lake Valley in 1856 The current controversy contro- contro versy versy is centered around d the e fairness of allowing the Church to purchase federal land while excluding other groups such as Native Americans from the same The should not have any reservations about selling the la land d to either party Those who oppose J the sale of land at Martin Cove to the Church claim to be concerned about the precedent that the action would set for other groups They should be more concerned about their man man- 4 of the lands in question ques ques- 4 tion The currently 4 4 spends the tax-payers' tax money 4 to maintain the land Bland and sites 4 located thereon It is logical to allow the Church or 4 Na Native ive American tribes to purchase the the land and aId spend their maintaining maintain maintain- maintaining own money money on on ing it 4 principle In they are S the ones who hay haye more ore historical historical his- his 4 and or cultural ties to such sites It stands to reason 4 that they would better care for forthe forthe the land than a federal agency 4 who only values it for the funds it wins for them If the 4 government cannot take sufficient sufficient sufficient care of the land they should sell it to those who have not only the desire to do 4 so but the funding If the Church has the means to purchase and maintain maintain maintain main main- tain Martins Martin's Cove sell it to them and use defer our tax dollars to some other inefficient 4 use Likewise if the Native American groups have havethe havethe the funding to purchase and maintain sites they consider to tobe tobe be sacre 1 sell the land A |