The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-06-24
Western Plains Abandoned by
TilIers of the Soil.
A Reckoning Some Day for
Railroad immigration Agents.
PROSPERITY TO COME
the Arid Plat.
Country.
But Not as it Does to AgricuI-
tural Regions.

Denver June 24.-John Timmins Of
Texas is at the Albany. Mr.. Timmins
is in the cattle business, and is now en-
gagged in shipping range cattle from
Nevada to the ranges of western Ne
braska, which have been thrown open
by the desertion of settlers, who have
been unsuccessfully trying to cultivate
the soil for the past seven years.
The range that was taken up by set
tiers" said he, lis now practically again
open for cattle. The people simply
could not make living. In most cases
they did not raise more than a single
crop. In some parts of the range where
the ground was pIowed up and sOWn to
wheat, there is the most abundant crop
of Russian thistles you ever saw. Be
fore the wheat is six inches high it is
chOked out with the thistle. We lease
the lands from the trust companies who
have the title, and in most cases have
paid from 500 TO 81, 900 per quarter sec
ton of land that would not give more
than $50 for.
1.-THE poor settlers are not to blame
for this condition of affairs. They came
out in good faith, believing the repre-
sensations of the railroad immigration
agents, and brought money with them
with which they earnestly tried to ex-
tract living from the soil. They put
up fences and buildings and worked
hard to bring the land into cuItiva ton.
When their money was gone they Dor
rOWed what they could from the trust
| companies and spent that, and then
went away with scarcely enough mon
ey to purchase food for their families
while the land had gone back into the
range.
Some few have managed to stay
there by getting hold of a little bunch
[ of cattle.
FINEST RANGES OUT OF DOORS.
/ The range, after having been fenced
IN lon fcs ~,
finest in the land, and we take our
young cattle there and feed them all
through the summer and then send
them on to the corn belt in the fall
| In many places in the western part of
the state substantial houses put up by
/ the settlers are now being scattered all
over the prairie by the wind. About
two years ago 300 families left from one
section alone, and the entire country
| is given up to the cattle men. There is
! one comfort in the situation, and that
is that the trust companies who now
own the land can better stand their
/ losses than the poor fellows who at
| tempted to farm.
Il think that eventually the greater
part of the land in western Kansas and
eastern Colorado that cannot be irri-
| gated, will again be devoted to range
/ cattle.
s'They cannot be made to produce a
| crop oftener than once in five years,
and all that they are good for is graz
ing.
It think that it is about time for the
! government to go out of the land bust
/ ness. Nearly all that can be cultivated
| has been taken up, and if the remain
| der was turned over to the states it
! could be made the source of very fair
| revenue by leasing 1t for grazing. A
| cent an acre per year would yield a
| steady revenue, and the states could re-
! serve the right to sell at any time that
/ water for irrigation could be secured. I
! don't think that the land could be leas-
J ed in great blocks to large companies,
/ but if the state would lease it in lots
! of from Is to 20 sections, it would give
/ the small stock raiSerS a chance to do
| some thing.
THE SOUTH DAKOTA PLAN.
I'm South Dakota this has been done.
/ The state there leases the land for
! cent an acre, but the lessee is required
! to fence each section and leave roads
/ on every section line, so that the ex-
/ pense is so great as to bar out stock
/ .aThis is the only way in my opinion
! that anything can be done with the
land that is left to secure revenue to
the states The cattle business is fair
/ ~ good. Not so good as some people
/ seem to think, but there is no cause for
/ complaint and if something could be
done to encourage the business by the
i lease of the range lands for grazing
/ purposes it could be made once more
a source of considerable profit to the
western states.
st do not think that the lands that
have been abandoned by these settlers
/ will ever be occupied again. They gave
1t a fair test and the result was d1saS-
/ trous not only to themselves but to the
/ trust companies from which they bor-
rowed money in good faith.
THE present owners of these for
/ feited lands would of course be very
/ glad to sell, but it is worth nothing ex-
/ cept for grazing, and there is no in
! ducernent for cattle men to buy at any
price that they would be likely to get it
| for.
| 1.-THE sufferings of some Of these peo-
pie were terrible, and ten men who are
/ responsible for bringing them out there
/ to waste their money in an effort to
raise crops have a great deal to answer
for"