, 1884-04-08

sas will be treated of by our territorial
veterinarian. 1t is the strongest possible
illustration of the need of the above law.
Our own ample legislation on this subject
protects this territory more completely
than any other state is guarded, but your
committee have used the occasion to urge
similar enactments among all our western
neighbors. They have written and wired
to the governors of Colorado, Kansas,
Iowa, Missouri; illinois, Nebraska and
Minnesota, and replies indicating intcn-
ton of earliest possible action through the
legislatures have come forward.
In this connection it is due to state that
our interests have been from first to last
supported and advocated earnestly by j..
NJ. Robinson. of the firm of j. NJ. Rob
inson x Co, at the cost of much personal
labor and in the face of great discourage
ments he has advanced our views on
every public occasion, and it should be ap-
preciated and substantially remembered.
1t is said that stockmen are proverbial for
knowing their friends from their enemies:
Let it be so in this case.
/ have said that the last act of the No
vember convention was to call a meeting
to be held the coming autumn to effect a
permanent and
ORGANIZATION
of cattle growers. We urged this as
highly important. The cattle interest
needs ~imperatively an authoritative
agency through which it can make its
wants known and through which it can
be heard in Washington and in the
public press. Representing in
the United States over 40, 900, 900
Cforty-three miilion1 head of eattle worth
over two billions of dollars, tmore than
the national debit the cattle industry re-
mains one of the few without consolida-
ton or organization. We believe it posi-
Bile to draw to such an organization the
cattle men Of every state and t%erritory. in
the union. Twenty-three states were rep
resented at Chicago last November, and
measures well digested and advocated by
the united pressure of such a body must
carry weight far beyond what we can ac-
complish singly. A proposition has
before you later, to hold this coming CON
vention at st. Louis. To one or the other
we earnestly advise sending Il strong dele
CATION.
The question of the use of government
land to the extent and in the manner made
necessary by our business, was brought
prominently before us during February of
this year by the introduction of certain
land bills in the United States senate.
The restrictions contemplated by these
measures were so sweeping hat your COM
mlttee felt it necessary to be heard in
behalf of your vast interests, and in con
nection with our sister association in
Colorado they prepared and sent a memo
rial to many senators. This memorial will
be read during later debate, and it will be
noticed that the committee do not seek to
discuss the question of whether or no
large tracts should be fenced, but aim
onlyt o preserve TO every ranchman the
right, free from penal or civil liability to
build his corrals and cabins where his bus
mess requires.
That some effect was produced may be
hoped from the fact that the bill now
pending attaches a penalty only to such en-
closures as include over 100 acres.
No more important measure presents
itself for concerted action than that of OBJ
tanning by law a safer and more perma-
nent tenure of grazing lands. Nor should
such a measure be considered or treated
as q purely selfish one which the public at
large should condemn. Considered as
between the stockman and the farmer,
II sToCKMAN HAS ON HIS SIDE
the following arguments which it would
be hard to refute: First-We occupy a
country in which irrigation is a conceded
necessity of agriculture.
Nine-tenths of the surface, is from its
sandy and broken character and the
absence of water, totally unfit for
the pillow even under the
most favored conditions of capital. The
stockman utilizes it all. Displacc him
and his capital and fifty years must pass
before these plains can be made to pro-
duce the same taxable wealth in any other
form. Second-To be successful it is well
understood the farmer must be near rail
road transportation. Fifty miles from a
railroad station the farmer, so far as sell
ing his surplus is concerned, is situated
where, to use Jim Fisk's often quoted ex-
preston, 1T costs one bushel of wheat TO
get the other to market" Could a farm
ing community grow and prosper and con-
tribute to the public wealth if they had
to haul grain by wagon fifty miles over
these hills; one cent a pound is fifty-siX
cents a bushel, Railroads will eventually
penetrate certain favored localities, but
until then and in sections where they will
not go what interest will be injured by
giving TO the ranchman the assurance of
undisturbed occupation for a term of
years? There are many localities on
streams near the railroad. Are these so
productive in export produce that the
country at large can afford for their sake
to disregard or destroy an industry that
brings into Wyoming over five million
dollars net returns per annum from its
beef besides the increase of herds within
its borders2 Something can be, and some
thing should be done to this end.
TRANSPORTATION To MARKET.
The association will remember its action
on this point at the April and July meet
ings, The committee appointed for this
purpose acted theoretically. Failing to
get any concession in rates after repeated
efforts, they advised the members by
circular that it was thought best to con
solidate the cattle shipment of the a~ssocia-
ton over not to exceed two of the Iowa
railroads. 1t has been often charged
against us that we could not combine our
members but hat individual preference
would rule in the end. We have demon
stTated that we can and will again. if
necessary, and if we have gained nothing
but to prove that fact, we have gained a
great deal. The transportation commit
tee will report fully through its chairman.
and undoubtedly make recommendations
for the future. In the same connection,
the secretary now lays before the ~associa-
ton q plan for shipping and marketing
range cattle, devised and matured by Mr..
Moreton Frewen, of the Powder River
Cattle company. There exists among the
farmers Of Great Britain a very urgent
demand for what they call, store cattle"
viz; steers in fair flesh, weighing from
1850 to 1850 pounds. This class Of ami
mails is finished on roots, grain, hay, etc,
on the interior farms of the midland
counties. The supply! is scarce, For