, 1889-12-07
TIE FACTS

THE FACTS CNALTERED.
An editorial article on the subject Of
needed stock legislation which was pub
lished in The LEADER a few days ago is
pronounced TO be clearly misleading" by
the Stock Journal We could make and
readily prove the same charge against the
two and a half column article which the
Journal prints apparently with the design
to damn with faint praise the board Of
live stock commissioners and bring into
inordinAte prominence the Wyoming
Stock Growers Association.
So far as THE LEADER is concerned it
has no prejudice against or prediction
for either organization except in so far as
either may prove most advantageous TO
the public. There is no chance for an ar
gument on the proposition that the work
cannot be performed to the satisfaction Of
all classes of stockgrowers by two associa-
tions even though the work performed
may be distinctly divided. Even in the
STOCK Journal article it is distinctly dis
claimed that the association inspectors
looked after or reported any strays in n
shipments except such as belonged to
those who paid dues TO the association.
The little fellows. as it calls the small
stock growers, we're admitted upon ex-
actly the some plane and would have re-
ceived the same benefits had they paid
for them as the bigger stock growers in the
association did. Nobody will dispute this
but the trouble lay in the fact that very
few of the little fellows" knew anything
about this scheme, no matter how much
they might have been disposed to enter
into it. Most Of them believed that when
the live stock commission was organized
by the legislature their interests would be
looked after with precisely the same de-
gree Of care as though they belonged to a
stock association. As a matter of fact
they we're not and nobody who pretends
to know anything about the matter claims
that they were.
Everybody realizes that inspections at
the yards IN Omaha and Chicago are of
more importance in protecting the inter-
ests OF stockmcn than even turning loose
inspectors on the public ranges. 1t was
only the interests of the few who paid
extra for il that we're looked after at these
points and therefore there exists, as THE
LFADER claimed, the necessity for better
legislation on the subject.
1t was the intention Of the legislature
that the stock compission should receive
its support from the sale. of mavericks
and unknown estrays. They organized
without a dollar to their credit in April
1883 but the report OF the secretary shows
that one year later they had au unex-
pended balance of over 81, coo on hand.
THIS amount with what might be realized
from the maverick fund and sale of un-
known estrays was considered amply suf,
icient to carry out the work contemplated
by the legislative act, and realizing this q
resolution to that effect was unanimously
adopted. Then followed statements made
publicly in the meeting of the stock asso'
citation that a determination TO follow ouI
this plan would result in depreciating the
value of mavericks to such an extent tina
the commission would realize little upoI
which to conduct the business during th,
present year. At this point the asso
heads. In the interests of harmony tn,
commission receded from its orieina
position and allowed the ASSOCIATION to ut
tend to the inspection work at the stock
yards. Time has proven that this was
grave mistake on the part of the com
mission but it only emphasizes the neces
sity for an assured source of income u
the commission if the stock business is Il
be generally protected.
The farther we go into it the more vi
are convinced that the act organizing thu
stock commission, with some slight modi
fcatIons, will solve the problem. n,
scheme is a success which fails to protec
the interest of every Wyoming taxpayer il
Chicago and Omaha as thoroughly as i
does on the ranges. The proposition
made in The LEADER n few days age W
believe to be a good one. 1t is simply t
sell the mavericks at the county seats an,
turn the funds realized over to the severa
counties. Then levy a general tax. say o
about half a mill, to meet the needs o
the stock commission and thus protec
IL. ... = W. ~