Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-04-06
secratru rsller;;s nrde,.

secretry Tel1er's Order
A correspondent of the Kansas City
Times who reported the stockmens meet
ing here last week has this to say about
the fencing Of public lands in this county:
The Times tonight brought to its read
ers at this place the text of Secretary Tel-
ler's order relating to the removal of en-
closures heretofore. erected upon public
lands, and prohibiting in the future the
erection of enclosures upon any govern
ment lands. The article as it appeared in
the Times stated that tlre attention of the
secretary of the iAterior had been called to
the matter by petition sent from f'Bour-
bon" county, but the trouble originated
in this locality, and the petition was sent
up from persons in Barbour county in
of Bourbon. The petition represented
that large tracts OF public lands in Barbour
and Comanche counties had been enclosed
by cattle men, who deprived outside par
ties from settling or grazing their cattle
thereon. The order of the secretary was
issued upon the assumption that these en-:
| closures prevented and retarded the settle
ment OF these lands. This, however; the
cattle men most positively deny. / met
Col. G. III. Eldred, who is general manager
of the firm of Gregory. Eldred 4 Co.. one
of the most extensive cattle firms in the
country. This firm represents cattle i'm
terest in this country of over 100000, and
found Col. Eldred to be we'll posted in ali
matters pertaining to orders and fegulaE
tons from the interior department as welt
as the cattle interests of the southwest.
he said these misrepresentation had been
made to the secretary by persons who had
never desired to settle upon any of the
inclosed lands, nor had ever any cattle they
desired to range upon said lrnds. He said
further that they had encouraged rather
than discouraged the settlement by other
parties upon these indorscd trades. But"
said he, "thcre has been no such cases as
those referred to- and could safefy offer
$1,000 to any person who had been pre-
vented from settling upon any public
lands within any such encl osurc, or from
turning their cattle thereon. "The fact
Is" continued the Colonel, "any person
can settle upon these inclosed lands who So
desires, or they can turn their cattle within
our inclosnrc and we cln make no object.
ion, nor have any Of the cattle men inter-
ested in these enclosures ever made any
such objection. Tlcse people neither de-
sire to settle upon these' lands nor have
they any cattle to turn upon them, and
thor objection can be attributedto nothing
but dog-in-the- manager kind of spirit.''
Then continuing, he added. '.thc Secretas
ry of the Interior does not understand rho
situation at all, or he never would have
issued such an order. Under the enclosure
system, Barbour and Comanche counties
pay tax into the county treasures of these
counties upon 81 600 head of cattle, repre-
senting over SI,500,000. Besides this the
Comatfche pool have entered and improved
over 5000 acres of lands, ALI of which rs
within this enclosure, and the fencing is al
so taxed to the extent OF its real value, all
OF which goes into the county treasures. 1
am Informed that the simple item Of fenc-
ing alone foots upa cost of S4G,OOO. ALL
OF this tax goes into the treasury, which
otherwise wonld never pay fIrthing. for
under the other system there would have
been no fences. no entered and improved
lands nor cattle to assess, as 1t would be
the easiest thing I'm the world to drive the
cattle across the line just prior 10 the first
dry Of Marchsand thus avoid their assess
ment. The board Of county commissions
ers Of Barbour county, over the certificate
and seal Of tile county clerk, have certified
that this county Is in no respect whatever a
farming country, and That Il Is remuneni-
tive only for grlzing purposes. This cers
thcate was sent to Secretary Teller about
two months since, and his order made right
in the face OF such evidence and such ccr-'
uhcates from county officers, can only be
accounted for upon the hypothesis that this
Information has never reached him, anil
that he Issued the order ignorantly and url'
intelligently. This Is giving the secretary
the benefit Of a very cinritfb.e conclusion,
one that might almost lie c:llfed violation
OF ordinary intelligence; bit Christian for
bcaraDcs admonishcs not TO be too severe
upon weak and erring humanity. The
question now arises, .Who will interfere
with the progress Of this commeniible en-
tcrprise, or whose hand will bc raised "
! the demolition VI these enclosure