Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-02-23

"Oar Western Cattle Klngs" looks very
well In pflut, and raising cattle on The
vast plains. where one has bat ,o brand
bis calves aud round up The fAi cattle lof
market in the fall seems very nnc and
worthy huslncss-from distance. Bai
closer Inspection changes ones opinion,
ant halfa wears rssldcucc In this country
4. calculated 20 cOnvlucc him that a less
"klnrlt" business Il would be tIficult %
nnt anywhere. To come 30 The facts
Ten DAYS ago this section was visited by
mo.t severe storm, the mercury stood
near zero; ,i0lcri gale blew from The
north, and the air was nliei With nying
snow. One sfcci % The storm was ~ -
oh.truct the Aichlson. Topeka 4 santa fc
Railroad, In Western Kansas, that no train
came through for seven days. This storm
len the couutry covered with snow and
The streams frOEsn. Slncc then We have
hat little ihawing weather 10 clear of The
range. while We have bad three Aiii,iouA
Light SHOWS 20 more completely cover II.
Tbis i The condition of the range.
Late last Summer large number OF
Texas cattle. most OF them ycarlings and
two o-yeAr-olis, were turned loose upon ihls
range. They hAi been held 10 quarantine
Al he state line and were very poor oon'
seqaeutly. when the cold weather came
on they were sull ihln 10 nlsh, unaccllm-
aiei. ana utterly unable 70 live ihroagh
Northern winter on the range Wlthln
the ten days Immediately preceding Wis
wrlilng-JknuAry l5-li Ia safe 10 sAy ihi
not less than - per cent. OF these DOG.
ers. a. they are called, hdrs starred aHi
frossa o. iciA. Nor are The "dogefs
alone dying. Daring the severe storm OF
the slh three ShOfthOrn cows diei near
The stacks % Geld into which TIE cattle
hal broken A. they drlfted before the
storm. Ansr The storm there were found
In two nslts which together lnelose about
one square mile. fofiy.ihree dead cattle.
Iu another smaller pasture were twenty
Eve. This Is a partial record OF one storm,
the nr,t OF the season. Il it strange that
A somewhat notorious sharper of Denver,
said 81 may be thief and rascal. oui
I've never been mean enough % 20 Into
ihe cattle business ami starye 10 death
damb bruies that are incapable OF protect
iug themselves
We call this civilized country. j. that
country civilized wherein men are allowed
20 turn dumb animals loose upon range,
Is0,-ing that not less than two, and from
that 10 ten, twenty. any. out OF every hun
dret must siArve or freeze 10 deAihf My
Ha,tern friend. suppose that farmer near
you turned into an open Geld hundred
head OF cattle. steers, young calves, young
heifrr. with calf and old cows. suppose
,h.t ne threw into that field AZ the beglu'
uipg OF winter Just what hay woali keep
them alive until spring II they shared
equally. Then suppose be len them there
20 get water, n they could, ortN snow
the strong ones 10 monoPollfe The iced
aud The weaker 20 staryei and each morn
Ing, a. you went 20 your work, suppose
you had % pass this mans fieldi 10 hear
The lowing OF his starving cattle, 20 see
their thin, shlyering forms huidled iogeth-
er under some bank, trying 10 escape the
biting blast, some with their hind feet
frozen u the hook aud beginning 10 rot
OF. and down by the water-hole few that
hai slipped on the Ice and were too weak
% ge, up, already sun In death or slowly
freezing.
wha, would you DO In presence OF such
a scene, my Eastern friendi You would
Iump over The fence and knock In the head
that poor, froEen.footed creature and ~
least shorten is misery. and serve that
starving skeleton on the ice the same way.
Alas. my brother. put yourself In my
place. There are q thousand cattle lying
on the Ice along the Arkansas River In
this (Bent) county there are thousand
cattle with frozen feet dragging across
these pralriesl lcannot kill them all, aud
were % Nil but one these wealthy cattle
kings(g) would send me 10 the penite stis-
~. My brothers, East and West, Is II
rigAf for any man 20 own cattle that he
cannot keep from starving and freeIingf
| call upon the lawmakers OF the Nation
20 make laws which shall stop this heart
less slaughter. call upon the societies
for the prevention OF cruelty 10 animals,
and upon all humane men and women, 10
speak out In denunclAtion OF this most
b.rbarous business, to raise their voices
for these dumb sufferers, and blot from
this civilized, Christian Nation this most
savage and heathenlsh abuse.