Helena weekly herald., 1884-12-18
JmpOrtant Letter from the Chairman
of the National Executive Com
mIttee of Cattlemen.

BOISE BARRACKS, Idaho, December y,
1884.-To the Editor Of the Herald AS q
proved friend of the best interests OF Mon
tana, venture to advise no one OF your
people to commit himself hastily against
the proposition to lease the cattle ranges TO
stock-growers. There are many reasons
why this matter should be maturely con-
sidered before much is said about it.
read your editorial in the HERALD OF the
4th inst. with very great interest, but hard
ly think you fully understand the ques-
ton at issue between the cattlemen and
the Government. The rights of the set
tier are sacred and the stock-growers do
not desire to disturb the pre-emption or
homestead laws. But there is greater
danger than the Jumper to cattlemen, and
that is the encroachment from foreign cap
ital. Already the English own nearly one
sixth of all the herds west of the Missouri
river, and they will soon owna half. These
British cattle are fed on American free
grass for the benefit of people who are not
Americans and do not live In the United
States The dividends derived from these
foreign investments are declared annually
and sent to England, Ireland, Scotland and
France, neither the people nor the Govern
ment of the United States deriving one
cent of benefit from them.
The grazing lands of the United States
are worth at fair rental about Sl5,OOO,-
600 per annum, and it seems to me some
means might be devised whereby the Gov
ernment could secure this revenue, especl-
ally if the lands are to be used to enrich
foreigners rather than our own people. My
own ideas are to lease the grazing lands In
the Territories and apply the money de-
rived to the education of the people. AS
to what methods and under what rules the
lands shall be leased am not yet prepared
to say, but l fully agree with you in de-
claring that monopolies shall be guarded
against, the rights of small owners pro-
tected and the homesteader and pre-emp-
tor left untrammeiled. The necessity for
some security as to range for the
cattle-raiser has become I'M
perative While the country was un-
settled and the question of the extent OF a
mans range left to his own Judgment 1t
did not matter, but now that the cattle are
crowding upon the ranges, the limits OF
every mans range must be fixed, so that
he will know how to conduct his business
and determine what number of cattle he
may raise The pernicous practice OF one
owner turning loose upon the range OF an
other will soon lead to violence and blood
shed, unless we can fix the limit and ex-
tent of each range. At present nearly
every cattle grower on the plains is tres
passer on the public domain. This is not
his fault, but the fault of the law under
which he lives There is at present no
way to lease the public domain for stock
purposes, so the stock raiser is obliged to be
a trespasser. 1t was to remedy this defect
that the memorial to Congress favoring the
leasing of the public domain to stock
growers was passed at the late convention.
The right of the cattlemen to petition
Congress cannot be denied, and they did
no more The method of fixing the leases
of the lands was left entirely to Congress,
and plan was not even suggested. The
outcry against these men by the press be-
cause they are wealthy is most unjust.
Suppose they do own $200,000,O0O of the
material wealth of this country. Is that
fact any reason why their business
and their wealth should not be protected
the same as that of the manufacturer, the
farmer, or any other producer?
First, of all the products of the
United States to-day stands meat !;
then comes corn; then wheat; fourth,
hay; fifth, dairy products; sixth, cotton,
and so on. That the growers OF the first
product of America should meet together
and consult about their business is most
natural, and that they should ask Congress
to give them some protection and aid In
conducting their business is neither revo-
lutionary nor alarming.
The men who met together at St. Louis
were perhaps as intelligent and well be-
haved a body as ever assembled on this
continent, and | defy any man to
point to one line in their proceedings
that was unjust to others. These men
have their own papers-scores of them =
and are better able to defend themselves
than am to defend them, but they have
no money to spend to influence legislation
in Congress, and they have no designs
against the settler or anyone else, be as
sured of that. The men at the head OF
their organization would scorn to become
LOBBYISTS and they would have no need to
importune Congress for what they want
1t is likely, if they visited Washington,
they would be able TO command sufficient
respect to have both the Executive and
Congress desire to know their opinion
ON matters affecting the first business in
the United States-the producing of meat
for the people.
AS to the Texas trail" we must not pro.
scribe State because it is unfortunate
Some of the Texas cattle have fever, and il
is not safe to drive them over other peo
pies ranges, but we cannot wall up Texas
and her 100000 head of cattle because
some of them are diseased and dangerous t.
other cattle. What then? Give Texas &
trail over which her cattle can be driven
auarantined and made safe. Texas mus