The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1886-11-18
1t by the ownars Of any kind of do
mestic animals. Tia man owns
A THOUSAND ACRES

THOUSAND ACRES
OF meadow land, and is engaged in
the business Ut raising cattle, the owners
Of sheep have no right to drive their
stock upon that land, or to permit
their stock to water upon the land to
its injury. To permit the owners of
cattle that run at large to enjoy CON-
plete immunity against damages for
the injury they may inflict upon pr.
yate land, is to wholly discourage the
ownership of land in your State, and
no high degree If civilization or pros
perity can ever come to country
when the ownership Of its sill 10 thus
discouraged. As to the land owner,
The owner should have protection
against the domestic animals belong
ing to another, notwithstanding his
land is not fenced As to the land he
has sought to centrol by the purchase
of thousand acres, as used in this H.
lusiration, he has no right whatever to
COMPLAIN for the use Of any citzsn of
the United States may seek to make Of
that land for his benefit or profit. 1t
does not belong to any individual to
say that he desires the use Of land that
does not bel ng to him, nor is it
proceeding consistent with good gov.
ernment, or good public policy, to
proln.,te any enactment founded upon
a clam 50 complete inlefensable.
Speaking for this department. should
oe most h.ppy to jsin with you in any
honorable effort to obtain Legislation
at the hands Of the coming Legisl ,ture
of Nevada which would be in the IA
lure Of encouraging the ownership and
cultivation Of the lands of your State,
and thus tend to develop its agricul-
tural resources. ! believe nothing Is
ever settled until il is settled right,
and 1, therefore, believe that if your
Legislature will pass a law declaring
thai the owners OF domestic animals,
who turn these animals luose, shall be
rsspons. BILE for any trespass committed
by them upon lands owned by another,
whether that land be enclosed wi hin
a fence, or not, new era Of prosper
ity will dawn upon yesr State l be-
iieve this legislation would be wise,
because | believe it to be Just. If the
business of grazing is profitable, II
should not seek ala lllegitinate profit
10y according y it n special legal I'm
muni,y against risk which justly be-
longs to 1t; and, in natural JUS. ice, the
man WIN owns domestic animals, and
turus ITEM loose III country, ought
to be held legally responsible for what
ever depreciation they commit upon
the private property Of others, or
whatever injury they may infict
Your people are overwhelming the
whole State. As they do not own the
ranges they pasture. they have little
regard for the preservation Of their
value. They are pasturing the grass
30 close that 1t will not be reproduced.
aud at such times as to prevent the re-
seeding of annual grasses, and a fes
more years Of this barbarous culture
will convert the best grazing ranges of
your State into deserts. The capacity
Of the State of Nevada to produce
wealth will be greatly deminiAhed; and
when persons establish a herdman's
right to lands, they shsuld be forced
to exercise it in such way as not to
destroy, but rather TO improve, lie
value. t. say the least, it is an ex-
cs, dinghy uagrateful eturn for the free
use of lands that their use is pursued
by barbarous methods, that their
VALUE IS CONSTANTLY DIMINISHED
By the destruction Of heritage, and
the consumption of seeds of forage
plants. Your country is becoming
more and more arid each year, and
he wealth producing capacity of the
State is oelng destroyed. To realize
that these characterizations are in nv
sense unjust, or in excess Of actual
fact you have only to recall the condl.
ton in which the first settlement
found the State of Nevada, with the
arid, impoverished condition of that
country to-day. 1t is the first duty of
legislation to address itself to the pre-
servation and improvement Of coun-
try, to the enhancement Of its produc-
tive capacity, and to the encourage
ment of it, settlement, and the growth
and prosperity Of its population. Your
,ra.a.,, ayst,u, nf cattl., and shpen