The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-04-10
The Castle 1zsn Dsaaad the CIoslae II
the Texas castle TRAN through

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Ths Castle Ken Dsnaad the cIosIag II
the Texas Cattle TEssl through
Kaasass
DODGE CITY, Kans-, April 3.-The
following is extraeted from the report Of
the Executive Committee OF the West
ern Kansas Cattle Association, hsld yes
terday At Dodge City:
II Is the unanimous opinion of your
committee that the time has now come
when an entire change Of policy should
beinaugurAted regarding the driving ana
holding OF through Texas cattle oyer and
upon ranges occupied by members of the
recent session OF its legislature, passed
very stringent laws regarding the hold
ing of cattle upon lands other than those
to which the parties SO holding could
show title, either by ownership or lease,
placing an annual rental value of from
hve to twenty cents per acre upon ali
lands occupied for grazing purposes,
and making It q misdemeanOr,
punishable with heavy fines or imprison-
ment or both for . violation of these
laws thereby declaring to the world
that 50 far IS the state of Texas 10 con-
cerned the day OF free ranges and open
trails lie thing of the past. In view Of
the character OF the legislation whereby
Texas demands by her citizens such alb
solute protection from invasion, and
attaches such high value to her grazing
lands, how can Il be expected that We
with our countless thousands Of high
grade cattle ranging over section OF
country already crowded beyond its Ca
pacity, should continue to permit the
nj NE fhnffaonnR
through Texas cattle annually over Q
trail through the very heart OF our graz
ing country, leaving in their wake the
germs of disease which have already
cost the stockmen hundreds Of thousands
of dollars from the losses incurred there
by without any compensation or direct
benefit whatever to them. We are con-
vlnced the time has now come
when this character of the
business. carving with II no compensat-
ing advantages TO Us, should close. We
have spent years Of care and labor, and
have expended thousands OF dollars In
the purchase Of hIgh-grade and
thorough bred bulls, to bring our herds
TO the present high degree of improve
ment, by which very improvement they
are rendered more susceptible TO the
contraction of disease. Hence our In
terests are endangered increasingly
with each ensuing year, and We see no
reason why We should not demand aad
receive the same protection that 10 given
to Missouri, Iowa and the eastern part
of our own state. We claim the neceesi-
ty for q dead line no longer exists, and
AJAX that the law now in force In this
state preventing the driving or herding
of through Texas cattle through the sec
ton of country east Of the present dead
line should be amended 80 - 70 make
it apply to the entire state
The business Of driving Tex
as cattle northWard Is now confined 20
hardly more than 9 score of men, and
those few men claim to make but aemall
margin of profit on the purchase and
driving off their cattle to be sold In this
and other northern markets Assuming
this to be the fact, we believe 1t would be
cheaper for the stock men of this
section of the country to pay the
drovers annually the PROFITS realized by
them on the cattle driven, than to have
their interests constantly jeopardized
and suffer continued loss of valuable cat
tle There is no reason why the great
state of Texas, with her great systems OF
railroads, to-day should not be placed in
the same catalogue and on the same foot
Ing with other states IN the expectation
and marketing of her products.
II is probably not an exsggeration to
say that 80 per cent of the cattle rsissrs
of Texas do not wish to drive their cattle
TO this or other states, but prefer making
contracts for the sale and delivery OF
their cattle at some railroad shipping
point, either at home or at the point OF
destination, and we believe it to be the
| almost unanimos opinion of the northern
cattle buyers that 1t IS wise policy and
positive economy as q matter of finance
to haYe their cattle shipped by rail and
delivered to them early in the season, al
a slightly increased cost, thereby secur.
| ing the benefits of the growth and accli-
| matization of the cattle for the entire
| season, rather than have them driven
over an open trail for from two to five
months in q lf-stRrved condition, and
arriving at their destination late in the
season, weak and stuAted, from which
| condition q large per cent never entirely
recuperate, entailing heavy losses by
death during the winter and those sur.
viving mature q year later than would
the same class OF cattle shipped by rail
We do not desire that Texas cattle
should be driven to Us for purchase
We desire to call the attention OF thil
association to 9 circular letter calling
for national cattle growers convention
to be held in st. Louis in November
1884. Your COMMITTEES are keenly
alive to the advantage and necessity Oh
an organization of this character and
cordially endorse the movement. ThC
recent convention of the cattle associa-
| tons throughout the west and south
have already responded to this call anC
named delegates to attend this conven'
| ton, and your committee would sugges
the appointment by the president of thil
association of not less than fifteen dele
| gates to represent US