Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1881-12-07
A Question That May Be.

- SsssHf yysss sssys = -
in this country during the last fifteer
years the advance in cattle inter
ests will take rank among the mos
rapid. We can all remember wher
the eastern markets were supplied
solely by "cattle buyers" who gath
cred up the surplus Of the small far
mers all over the country, q hcac
here and there. There were a few
large breeders in Texas, from which
state the limited demand Of thu
southwest was supplied, and tht
surplus were slaughtered for hides
and tallow, the meat being sacrifi
ed.
A multiplicity of caurcs co-opera
ting have changed all this. Ingenu
ity was first turned toward refriger
ating ships and cars by which this
food, produced practically without
cost, could be utilized in the great
centers of the world. Refrigerator
were not a success, and soon the ex'
pertinent of shipping live stock by
sea and land took their place to g
great extent. Ships and cars were
constructed with special adaptation
to this industry, and the formation
of great through trunk lincs-mo'
nopolies if you please-made trans.
portation cheap and put the Texas
steer in every eastern market, and
the markets of England and France.
And the canning process capped tht
climax by putting him in every
market in the world, SO to speak.
The rapid increase OF demand
produced a rapid increase of supply,
Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, New
Mexico, Wyoming and Montana as
well as our own Territory, began to
be dotted with growing heHls, many
of which begin to rival the monster
herds Of Texas ''in the stinse lssfsss
the war" And now Dakota is being
filed up, and the stream threatens
to invade the British Northwest Ter.
ritory.
This great industry is meeting
with trouble in its very infancy-or
at least in its early youth. The
rapid influx of foreign immigration
added to the ceaseless stream from
the older States is fast overrunning
all the cattle growing region referred
to. Without large tracts of country
large herds can not exist. Large
tracts will be difficult or impossible
to obtain after a few years more,
without special legislation. Cattle
men who have been gradually NOV
ing north and west before the cease
less tide Of immigration are begin
ming to be alarmed at the outlook.
Some Of them are the present win
ter studying personally the northern
regions of Dakota and Montana as
their next possible refuge, but they
see very plainly that the same tide
which is sweeping them before il
will give them brief rest in those
great grass regions unless the Inv
will come to their protection.
And here Canada steps in with
the first real blow she has been ena.
bled to strike against the States.
Hitherto all her efforts to procure
immigration have resulted in our fl.
vor. The people brought 60 near
our borders cross over to the sup
posed land Of freedom and equality
for all classes. But in the rapidly
increasing cattle interests of the con-
tinent, Canada thinks she sees hel
opportunity, and she comes forward
with the offer of unlimited land u
these cattle growers unlimited ex'
cept by the number of cattle intro
duced.
Her plan is TO grant . lease fol
twenty-onc years Of ten acres fol
each head Of stock introduced, fol
the nominal sum Of ten cents 81
acre, which is equivalent 70 half !,
cent All acre per annum.
Il requires no Daniel to forese,
that with this absolute legal protec
ton for : mere nominal rent, Cana
da viii in fifteen Or twenty year
more absorb all our large catal
herds unless We can offer some sucl
induosment % breeders On our i'd
Of the line; and We win soon y
called upon p deal with thu que
tion.
~ = The question betwssn hav
ins vast rssiona occupisd ~ : y,
vast hssds, and q l.aying ths -
f1egicus eDssssd Nm NM tlt