The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-09-06
FARMs AND CATTLE RANGES.


st. Louis Globe Democrat: An ire
pressible conflict is IN progress between
the stockmen of the plains nnd Tie tron-
tier farmers. One aspect OF il has Just
become prominent through decision
rendered in Wyoming Territ ,Fy by
Judge Sener. The government Of the
United States sought an Injunction to
restrain the erection Of fences By ranch
men around unOccupied sections of the
public domain. The court holds that
the fences must 60. 1.-THE unisWful
fencing of large tracts Of public land
constitutes. first, great public Wroag.
and, secondly, public nuisance" Is the
verdict Of this just judge.
The governments case seems 50 clear
that II is difficult to realize the posi-
bllity of 50 ne capitalists ignoring IL.
But, as q matter Of fact. hundreds and
thousands of acres. nnoccupled and IN
sold, have been fenced ia by cattle-rsis-
ers for their use and profit precisely
as if they owned the land. A
year ago. for example. there was
great mania among herders in the
unorganized counties OF Kansas, the
"CheOrkee strip" and the Indian Terri
tory for inclosing large pasture fields.
One heavy buyer and raiser Of stock
constructed fence Of cedar posts and
barbed wire sixty miles long. Others
inclnsed as much land as their herds
seemed to need. And yet in each OF
these cases the stock men held The land
only by unlawful squatter sovereignty.
A farmer may claim . homestead by
"squatting," and after time get . title
TO it. But the cattle men cannot gain
possession Of the land in this way, nor
can they buy it in acres to SUIT. Good
stories are told of ''tenderfeeI" investors
who purchase land warrants by the
thousand acres, thinking thereby 70 &C.
quire the right to occupy any unoecu-
pied range, but only to discover that no
person can enter over 100 acres for his
own use, though he may hold bushels Of
land warrants.
The sound policy of the government
restricts gifts of public land to those who
will till the soil and make homes. II 1T
should undertake TO give away territory
for cattle ranges it would soon have
none left. Indeed. Notwithstanding the
uncertainty of tenure, very little grazing
ground OF good capacity. and provided
with water, remains unoccupied. Ia
Kansas and Nebraska, for instance, the
only line between the farming country
and the cattle country is that marked by
the disappearance of timber and water.
West of the limit OF profitable agricul-
ture the stockman inherits the earth.
But 1t Is ObYlous that agriculture will
push itself further and further out upon
the plains. Tree-plantIng and driven
wells make agriculture feasible to-day
where twenty years sgo lay the edges of
the tabled ''Great American desert"
When agriculture comes. grazing has
TO go. The former is the more ad-
vanced industry. Year after year, in
Texas, in Kansas and Nebraska, and in
Montana, the plow crowds out the steer,
just as the steer has crowded out the
buffalo and the antelope. Here is to be
found one of the causes of the dearness
of meat. Stock raising, like agricul-
ture itself, must become from year to
year more and more intensive" less
and less extensive" This is progress.
1t ought to be possible, however, for
the collective wisdom of the interior de.
partment and Of Congress to devise
some leAsehold system under which
unoccupied lands might be law
fully appropriated by cattle men
until wanted by farmers. A
class of spectators known as Jump.
ers' make it their business to claim
homesteads in the heart of desirable
ranges, and hold them until the vexed
stock-raisers buy them out. Just COM
plants are made OF the damage of these
shysters. In some cases cattle owners
would pay considerable rental for
their ranges if they had right to en-
close them for term Of years. There
is of course danger that any bargain
upon this subject between the govern
ment and the ranchmen would foster
or create monopolies. But still the prob
lem cannot be too large or too difficult
for statesmen TO solve.