The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-08-12
NOW FOR THE FENCES.
THE PRESIDENT SAYS THE "BUL'
LOCK BARONS" MUST
Pull Down Their Fences and Leave the
Land Free to the Settler and Tray-
eler-Some Statistics of the
Fencing Business.

WASHINGTON CITY, Aug. 12-Before
leaving Washington President Cleveland
signed proclamation, which was issued
from the state department Monday, order
ing the removal of every unlawful Enclosure
Of public lands maintained by any person,
association, or corporation. and forbiddlng
them from preventing or obstructing by
means OF fencing, forcs, threats or intimida-
ton, any persons entitled to lands within
these Enclosures, from establishing settle
ment upon them
This action of the president is a much
severer blow TO the great cattle farms than
the action taken in regard to the Cheyenne
and Arapahoe strike. 1t affects the &C.
cupation of the public domain in almost
every portion of it, A year or two ago a
mail contractor in Nebraska reported as fol-
lows:
AIN the Loup river valley of Custer
county, Nebraska, are large cattle ranges
inclosing hundreds of acres of government
lands with barbed wire, regardless of sec
ton or even township lines, and l must
drive through such gates as they choose to
put up in order to get to the postoffices,
having often to leave uuruly horses to open
and shut their so-called gates in all sorts of
weather. What wish to know is, can l
compel those parties through your aid, to
open section lines and let me through with
out going several miles out of my ways'
An investigation was thereupon made
which fully confirmed the facts reported by
the poStoffice department. The Enclosure
particularly referred TO was found to be
| that of the Brighton ranch, whose fences
were admitted to surround $4,000 acres,
large portion of which is public land and
| good farming land.
Among the cases specially reported addi-
| tional to the Brighton ranch in Nebraska
| are those of the Arkansas Valley Cattle
| company, in Colorado, whose Enclosures en-
brace upward of ZOO, 900 acres; the Prairie
| Cattle company Scotch, in Colorado, up
ward of 100, 900 acres; II. H Metcalf, River
| Bend. Colo, 200 600 acres; John W. Prov
ers, Colorado, 100000 acres; Sewesy Bros,
| Colorado, 100000 acres 1t only shows
ranges of 100000 and upward; below that
| down to 900 acres, the cases are too num-
erous to begin, even to mention.
In Kansas entire counties are reported as
| fenced. In Wyoming, 125 large cattle com
panies are reported having fencing on the
| public lands.
Among the companies and persons reported
as having immense" or very large" areas
inclosed, but specific quantities not men,
toned, are the Dubuque, Cimarron, and
Renello Cattle companies, of New
Mexico; the Carlisle Cattle com
pany tEnglish) in Colorado; the
Marquis de Morales in Dakota; the Wyom
ing Cattle company Scotch, in Wyoming.
| and the Ronkin Livestock company, In
Nebraska. Several companies and persons
in Montana and elsewhere are mentioned a.
having Enclosures, with no data as to areas
A large number of cases in the severa
states and territories west of the l00tt
meridian are reported. where the Enclosures
range from 1000 to 5000 acres and
upward. Hitherto the land office
could only investigate these cases anC
report the facts to the department of jus
tice, whose duty it was to order district at
torneys to prosecute persons guilty of un
lawful fencing. A few cases have been in
vestigated, and suit was commenced against
the Brighton company. The new law, passed
mainly through the efforts of Congressman
Payson, of Illinois, abbreviatessproceeding
very much, and allows the president to u s.,
the army if necessary to eject the tresspasS
ers, without carrying on several years liti
CATION as preliminary.