Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1889-03-28
COWS VS.. STEERS.
A Miles City CorrespondentDis-
cusses the Advantages of she
stock and Breeding
AS Against the steer mems
Theory OF shipping in and
Out Every Year.
She Sock ". steers.

The following letter from Miles City
10 the Montana Live Stock Journal
treats OF topic that is beginning TO
be OF considerable interest TO range
stockmen. With the advance of i'm.
migration, which cannot now be long
delayed, the encroachments of settle
ment upon the range country brings
the question of the future Of the range
stock growing very prominently to
the front. The letter referred to
handles this question intelllgently and
concisely and at the same time shows
that Custer county has nothing 10 fear
from the change that is coming. The
Montana Live. Stock Journal, editori-
ally endorses the theory and opinions
Of its Miles City correspondent, which
We also take pleasure In doing:
"Miles City, Mont, March l9.-The
metropolis Of eastern Montana re-
ceived the news Of assured statehood
with much equanimity. Most of us
have lived under state government
before and know that to the average
citizen there Is but little difference
whe ther he is q territorial vassal or
citizen In whom is vested sll the
proud attributes of statehood. In
fact, II the misguided Bourbons had
not made the keeping out of the terri
tories party measure / don't believe
there would have been any popular
clamor for the admission of Montana
Tor some time to come; certainly not
from esstern Montana, A the monied
interest here, % represented by the
cattlemsn, do not desire any of the In.
creased expenses that come with state.
hood, or the prominence tnst the ter
ritory at large will naturally be
brought into ty the translation from
the territorial chrysslis to the regal
butterfly existence Of statehood. Our
cattlemen-and when / say our
mean not those of Custer county alone
but those of the northwestern ranges
are singularly modest and retiring
class of people who have been foisted
into an undesired notoriety by the
sensational press OF the east, which
has PAINTED them with an artist,
brush, though In lurid colors, In tn,
guise Of feudal barons, who, having ap
propriated the western ranges by mos
questionable methods, proceeded ;,
parcel the grazing grounds out amonI
themselves 70 the exclusion of al
other people and the extinction of al
other rights but theirs. 1t is true that
comparatively speaking, Q few mer
and few cattle occupy the vas
ranges Of Custer county, over whi:h
though we are reputed to be the ban
ner COW county of the territory, on,
may travel for hundreds of miles ant
never see as many cattle ss would sup.
ply one-tenth of the demand of tn,
Chicago market on q brisk day. bu
the idea Of there being any traits II
common with our mild-mannere,
COW men and the bloodthirsty and ac
quisitive barons of the medieval age
Is simply preposterous. Take th
courtly and reticent Joe Scott, who's
comipgs and goings are shrouded Il
inscrutable mystery, or jolly Johl
Holt, with broad face and capaciou
smile, or plain homespun Col. Bryan
or that prince of good fellows '5cu,
Johnson, or II. r.. Phillips, known b
the soubriquet of Little Phil, becaus
he only weighs 2s0 pounds, or a scor
more that ! could mention, and III
simllie fails entirely.
I "The cattlemrn occupy the range
now because there Ia no one who care
TO dispute the occupancy with then
but not because II could not DO don
successfully. The history Of all rang
countri wlllundoubtedly be repeaie
here; the cattleman, who ls the tru
pioneer, comes first, in the majority
cases disputing his holding with tf
Indians and suffering much more B
their pr datory aud hostile instinc
than the outside world has any know
ledge OF. Following him comes u
speculative squatter, who plants hir
self near some spring or water-cours
merely for hepnrpose Of being boug
out, and ranches In tand.to-mou
way until the deslred end Is nttaine
Then comes the bona dde SETTLE
whose intent ls 10 make home, Al
although he may In Isolated instant
interfere with rights and privilee
that his range neighbor had previol
7. " enjoyed without LEI or hindran
he meets with no persecution; on
Y contrary, II be sets earnestly or inte