The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1875-09-16
The Herd Law.


The herd law is the making Of this valley.
adopted the ssno fence'' law are outstripping
in growth. settlement and productions three
| foIrfhs of the older counties OF the State
where fences are necessary to the cultivation
Of the ground. Many OF the wiser Of the older
portions of the State have noted this fact and
now we hear the "herd law" question agitat-
ed in counties that ten years ago would not
have dreamed OF such thing. Outside Of
the expedisncy OF the herd law we have al
ways maintained that the principle underly-
| ing il was right and just. ''You take care OF
| your property and will take care OF mine' is
the whole law in a nut shell. The spirit of
the old law and rule, as between the real
estate owner and the personal property own
er. was 81 must take care of my crops and
your live stock as WELL" giving preference
to one class of property over another. Then
there is another phase to the question, even If
we had plenty Of money and plenty Of timber.
| To those who have never thought of the
money invested In fences in the United States
glance at the figures would provo instruct
i've. There is more money invested in fences
than in railroads. The capital in railroads is
live, making the stock holders and the country
through which they pass rich. The money
invested in fences is dead, unproductive,
numbering the ground and filling up the tax
rolls, and not returning a single cent Of profit.
Take Sedgwick county Tor an instance: We
have twenty-eight townships, or zoos sec
tons Of land. Fence this area up into forty
acre fields, on an average, with road around
each section, and it would take ten miles Of
fence to each section or $500 rods, or 8, 225,-
600 rods o. fence fer the county. This at
twelve cents foot for post and board fence
would cost Sc, .GSs, enough to grid iron the
county with railroads. The taxes at two per
cent, over and above cost for repairs, would
not be less than S121,732 per annum. Fortu-
nately the Usage orange flourishes in our
valley. Ten or twelve years hence, probably,
will see our county pretty well fenced with
hedge, but even after that we believe the herd
law will prove the best and the most profit
able. Having lived in some of the older
counties OF the State we note one important
difference. In Sedgviek county much of the
land held by spectators is being broken up
and seeded down to wheat, there being no
cost outside OF breaking and seed. The first
crop Of wheat in many instances pays both
the expense and original cost Of the land.
Men living in town, who own land, can with
small outlay have nice little income, Even
eastern spectators direct their agents here to
put their land in wheat. This is impossible
in counties where the herd law is not in force.
The profits of crop in those counties will
not justify fencing and repairs and the ex-
ponse Of man to watch the fence and defend
it against loose and breecby stock. And still
there is left the greater and more weighty
argument in favor Of herd law, viz: any
man, however poor, can with team and
shelter for his family, successfully open up
and probably conduct farm in counties like
Sedgwick, where the herd law is maintained
and enforced by common consent.