Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-04-28

: Ex-Gov. Thomas Moonlight Gives some
Insid, Facts la It~Eard TO the Troubles
The Cattle IiaroDs Largely 60 BIame
Hon. Thomas Moonlight, Of Kansas.
who was governor Of Wyoming under
the administration Of President Cleve-
T land, writes to the Kansas City Star in
regard 70 the Wyoming cattle troubles
ns follows;
The trouble dated back twenty years 10 tho
time when the Indians with their red blankets
and herd Of hsn.locs covered the plains and
hin sides As the Indians wore driven back
ana the hunalocs killed the white man stepped
IN and stocked the plains with domestic cattle,
or rather with HE wild cattle from Texas
which they improved by the Introduction Of
splendid shorthorn AMI Hereford bulls The
indian wus no longer % factor aud the buffalo
was extinct The caitcmen ruled the country
and the cowboys were an improvement upon
the Indians just as their cattle were an I'M
provement upon the huniloes
This then was the first step ia the civiliza.
tlon OF Wyoming but Il was only step ana as
the Indians claimed all The lands BY inheritance
80 the cattcmen claimed an the lands by virtue
OF conquest and discovery, as they said, and
coolly proceeded TO parcel out the public do
main for their own purposes occupying an tho
streams and taking possession OF az Iho water
ways 10 the exclusion Of any agricultural set
tlement And here IS whore the conflict began
Wyoming is very dry country and there can
| be no settlements Of any moment back from the
streams To take possession Of the streams
was the far seeing, intelligent but unlawful work
| OF the cattle companies They very rarely as.
! putcd among themselves touching locations but
were combined against outsiders They were
loyal TO the cattle interests and loyal TO them
! selves and every company had It's particular
brand for the cattle and named its ranch after
the cattle brand, hence the T. A. ranch. the
| Crossbar ranch the Flatiron ranch the Two
| bar ranch the Halfcircle ranch the Goose-eeg
| ranch and so on The home ranches, as they
| were called, were far apart and the cowboys,
| with light colored sombreros standing collars
and buekskin leggins, astride Of their game
| little prancing ponies, with clankinR spurs
dangling from their high -heeied top boots be
| spangled ~ the top with silver stars and
pointed at the toes like French dancing
masters, were cocks OF the walk sure enough
The cattle business was very profitable for
many years ana men who had been poor soon
became very rich and began forming syndicates
and large stock companies, composed Of many
Of The wealthy and leading men Of the east.
with large sprnkling Of leading politicians OF
both PARTIES for the cattlemen understood tho
value Of having friends IN court so to speak
Many foreigners were interested IN large ranch.
cs, but IN almost every instance the original
cattlcmcn became managers of the new com
panics at princely salaries and built themselves
palatial residences In Cheyenne Laramie City
and other places, only going ont to the ranches
two or three times a year thus leaving the
foreman and his crew at each ranch complete
masters Of all they could survey, and they
graspcd the situation and loved the power.
Was It any wonder that these now c1ttle
barons began to look around for the complete
possession ana ownership OF an the land ad-
Joining the streams, that they might per
petuate and hold their power like the barons Of
oldg
Under the desert claim act OF congress every
cowboy entered up quarter section Of land for
his master, ana every master and his wife and
oil their relations back through Ohio Pennsyl-
yania, New Jersey, New York and an tho New
England states, made desert claim entries and
dumped them into syndicate pools, thus rob
bing tho United Stotcs, and making it impossi-
ble for any agricultural settlement 10 even make
beginning There they then began 10 fence
them in with wire fences. Some cattle com
panies had hundreds OF miles of wire fcnNss,
inclosing all the government lands on both sides
Of the water courses TO the complete exclusion
of any settlcment They then became land
barous as well as cattle barons. and any at
tempt 20 locate upon their domain, although it
was government land subject 10 entry for home
stead pre-omp- ion. and other purposes. was
met by charge Of cowboys and the bali dozen
head Of cows and calves The small holding Of
the poor homcscckcr, wcr, gone forever.
The cry went mp from these small ranchmcn
thus driven out and Pres dent Cleveland and
Secretary Lamar took hold Of the matter re-
moved the territorial onircr, au ordered the
fence wire was very cheap Tor sometime after
This was the hrsi CLEAN OF daylight for tho
bona fidc former settlers, and thew began 10 get
a fooihod on firm, lawful ground which they
have kept ever since. Small farm ranches
can now bo seen on many Of the smaller
streams. and there SIS some cultivation
This was glll and wormWo0i % the cattle
syndicotes and land harons nov f-nccless,
and the festive cowboy booted and spurrOd,
with brace OF rcvolvers strapped % his side,
hr rtsr f.f Nstts f.sr.
potato planting To him ploWiur was mcuial
and degrading work and hly-making diseracc-
iul With this feeling of contempt on The part
Of the cowboys for agricultural labor. 10 was
not dinicult for The cattle kings 10 keep the adj
veuturuus settlers Ou The jump until they
shook he soil OF Wyoming from their feet
Tlc cattle lived upon the grasses summer and
winter and the grass is of such q char ctcr that
10 cures Ia the late summer and fan anl makes
very nutritious food for thc winter. By over
stocking the plains the winter feed was eaten
up In the fan Of The year and the cattle wcru
too poor ia flesh 20 Withstand the cold winters,
and so thousands Of them died rhi. broke up
many ranches and gave another fooihuid to the
small settlers looking for homes where they
could DO a little farminr and grow into cattle
raising IN "a small way. each ranchmauo or SETTLER
looking after his own little herd and putting up
has for feed n winter time Some of the larvCr
ranches began 20 put up hay for special pur-
poses and this was another reason Tor fencing
In al the stream,
That some OF thc small scttlcrs were and are
q shoncst is doubuessly true aud some az The
large cattle syndicatcs were and are dishonest
Is also douhtlUssly true and as they had thc
power 90 punish, physical power I meau they
used it uuSparnply and The small settler, guilty
lr innocent had To many eases 90 suffer This
brought ou a feeling of personal bitterness
which has resulted in % combined effort ou thc
part ui the small settlers to defend themselves
lolin4f fhe ...!!;.; - 80, i,i.rr. uurr power
o. 4faHI ffHF rfff o.
combine To- defend their rights thsv are very
apt TO aycnge their wrongs AMI in something
lf o wild country are not perhaps uvCrpar.icu
lar rs 90 ihc method of revenge
7 have no doubt hut that rusilcrs have btou
stealing and killing the cattle OF tho oycrhcar-
Ing corporat ons. aul there i- just as little
iouht that these corporations through their
'mpoycs have stolen ami killed ihc cattle of
he settlers. Some good cattle companies and
some good clttlcmeu Will suffer hY This kind ~
warfare. but many good settlers have suffered
or years and many more VIII suffer
10 tho hands of the cattle companies
There IS wrong on both sides, hui the
attlemen h1y, been the arrrcssors for the
,ast ten years. and ghen the chickens come
home 10 roost they boldly, denantly and blindly
ako the law in their Own hands anl swcIr
hoy viii destroy The small rauchmcu. The
settlers are hardy. brave men. and they arc
'ood shots and mv know ledge of ail The par
ios-fur know many uu both sides personally
warrants noe in saving that the cattlemeu. by
hcir reckless. desperate ui-adviscd armed
movement have sealed the doom of thr cattle
business in " Wyomiur
North Dakota Legislators Careless.
GRAND Forks. y. d.. April s6-The
asst state legislature 10y some oversight
na--e no provision i'm revising the laws
or the election of presidential electors
nd politicians are much alarmed iu
consequence. An extra session of the
legislature is believed to be the only
olution of the difficulty.
sailed Prom Nelasco. Tex.
NEIAsCo. Tex. April 2G.-The British
teamship Austerlitz sailed from here