The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-13
TIE CATTLE MEMS QUARREL.
There Is No Objection to the Southern Texans
Using the Established Trails

which will be published here tomorrow, is the
telegram to which Secretary Lamar replied to-
day, as mentioned in the Washington press
dispatches:
KANSAS CITY, No. July g. 1885.
Hon. L. Q; c. lamar, Secretary Department Of the
interior, W Washington, ID. G.:
''The letter Of Representative Sayers of
Texas, July 2, also kilograms of Sayers and
Governor Ireland, July B. concerning the Texas
cattle trail INSTRUCTIONS, contain many wrong
and misleading statements. The sketch showing
the trails is decidedly wrong The 0iiciai Cher
okee map mailed you proves this. The herds IN
question not above suspicion. These cattle
do import the Texas fever The opposition to
the passage Of cattle is made solely
from fear of fever. All charges to
the contrary are false, and can be
clearly and satisfactorily proven So The same
cattle have been repeatedly stopped ana turned
from passage across Texas by inJunctons Wlthln
the State of Texas by Texan citizens. Large
numbers of cattle not infectious have passed
without opposition. The trail agreement at
the Dallas convention was made only on the part
OF Texas men, who were not affected, others and
those on the border were decidedly opposed to it.
All efforts to establish d trail for this class of
cattle from the south to the north line of the
State Of Texas were bitterly opposed and defeat
ed by Texas men. The trails used heretofore
are cut of at the Kansas line by quarantine law.
The land within these trails in the Chero-
kee nation, comprising nearly one million acres,
is paid for by the lesSees. BY sufferance
Texas herds both infected and uninfected, were
allowed to use these trails heretofore, and ranch
men make no objection now to the passage of
cattle on these trails, but when attempts are
made to push out sideWise from these trails
through the pastures, opening new trails three
to five miles wide. through land for which rent
is paid, where no trail ever existed, spreading
disease. decided opposition is met. That the
Opposers are perfectly right cannot be disputed,
when all the facts of the case are known. Clearly
the hundreds of law-abding citizens occupying
all the country in question, with valuable herds,
representing life time savings. deserve protec-
tion more than few trafickers In infectious
cattle. The few Northern Colorado spectators
bought their Texas CATTLE expecting
to enter Colorado in direct violation of the laws
of their own State, bat the southern Colorado
men are determined the law shall be properly
enforced, and the passage of this class OF cattle
Through Bent and Las Animas counties pre-
vented. Clearly, then, their getting through
the Territory will avail nothing. Occupants of
the country through which it is wanted to pass
the infectious cattle have suffered enormous
losses from year to year by Texas fever, from
the slight contacts with the before mentioned
trails and hence know full we'll the wholesale
destruction that would result from permitting
infectious cattle to pass over their ranches
THE charge that the opposers of the passage
of these cattle are doing so to depreciate prices,
in order to buy cheaply, is a misrepresentation.
Not one of them wishes to purchase such cattle.
Reference is made to numerous unanimous OPP
posing resolutions by their ASSOCIATION. The
driving Of these cattle from State or Terri
tory to another is papable violation of the
animal industry law. The occupants Of the
country feel that the attempt by Texas to force
infectious cattle upon them, involving losses of
hundreds Of thousands of dollars to themselves
and parties throughout the entire country, with
out remuneration, is unjust and an outrage, and
demands that before the government sanctions
it or becomes party to it, full investigation be
made in support of the facts as herein stated.
The occupants ask only for fair hearing. The
11a.,o -, ~
quarantine laws of Kansas, Colorado, New
Mexico and the Territories north, and also the
fact that the same cattle do not get passage
through the State Of Texas except by railroad.
''N. III. TOWERS,
'T. A. LEE,
"Commttee for Live Stock Associations"
The following was telegraphed the Secretary
of the Interior tonight:
KANSAS City July IL.
of the Int rior, Washington, d. O.:
''Your telegram of day received Our mes
sage seems to have been miSconstrued and it is
manifest that we have unfortunately failed to
make the actual situation understood in Wash
ington. We now wish to state, most respect
fully but positively, that there are and have
been no distractions to passage of herds over
any trails which have ever been used. No OBJ
lection is made by ranch men to the passage Of
cattle over the trails. Your inspector will not
find the trails obstructed We desire to make
ourselves clearly understood as stating to you
that the owners Of these infected herds are
now attempting to drive and scatter them
through pastures and over ranges where
DO trails have ever been made. Past
experience teaches emphatically that by these
means wholesale destruction will be wrought
among the cattle ranging thereon. and which
have been placed there under leases made with
at least the tacit approval Of the government
aud in the belief that the established trails
for the passage of cattle would continue to be
used, and without any apprehension that herds
would attempt to leave such trails and be driven
through their pastures. The truth of the state
ment of this and our first message can be estab
lished to your entire satisfaction and we
specially ask If you careful consideration of
them before any summary measures, intimated
in your messagc, be adopted. The herds being
driven up are affected and their owners know
it, and their assertions to the contrary simply
pretenses. The experience of years must be
ignored to credit such statements.
wv. A. Towers
THOMAS A. LEE,
COMMITTEE for Stock growers Association of
Colorado, Kansas, Northern Texas Missouri
and Indian Territory, representing =, 500, 900 to
100000 head of improved American cattle"
Mr. Lee, in an interview tonight in support of
the statements to Secretary Lamar, cites the
resolutions adopted by the various cattle
associations of southern Colorado, Kansas, the
Indian Territory and northern Texas, last
spring, all uniting in the determination to pre-
vent the passage of southern Texas cattle over
their ranges. He asserts that the only inter-
ference which has been offered is in preventing
infectious cattle from leaving the trail and
passing through the pastures where there is no
trail He also states that Secretary Lamars
order to day is not similar to that of Secretay
Keller, as the latter was an order to open an old
trail which had been some time inclosed with
numerous fenced pastures, while Secretary
Iamars order is to open trail which it is main
tanned the cattle men have not attempted to
close.
Why the Relations Between Two Gentlemen
Are Strained.
forresnnndoncn PHILADELPHIA Record.