Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-03-04

lrcl wls sufficiently indicate by the
debate which occurre in the House
yesterday twuinesiay) on the bill
iotr ducsd b. Ray of MillarJ county,
III. b. 67).
Tho great bulk Of gttz'ns landh In
this State belong to the United States
government, and the Utan Legislature
has 10 control over them. 1t may not
aay who shall or shall not grBza stoek
ON them, neither has 1t power TO fay
thst one hi OF live stoaS may enjoy
privileges N them which another kind
may not. Just here is point that Ia
oilnn ovorlooke1: II Is only by the
slderance OF the United Siates COVER
ment that any kind OF stock ia allowed
10 grtzo on these lsnds. Hence the
lack OF legal ground for complaint Of
iujuslioo because the government
throws them open to the niocs owners
alike,
But there is moral iujusiice In
gruz,ug large herds OF aheepSon lands
which the people OF settlement de-
pen1 upon Tor pas,urage for nllch
cows. The cows cannot be pasturod
far from home and serve the neeessl-
ties OF their ownurs, while the sheep
may he. Here is Migrant evil, aud
many are the reme lies that havg been
sugges Q Tor 1t. But the fact that the
lands are public domain and beyond
The jurisdiction OF the local legislative
authority, AMI that the laws Of Con-
gress allow all kinds OF stock to grazs
upon them, on an equal footing, has
made it impossible TO apply direct
and effective remedy.
But the police powers OF the Utah
Legislature may properly be invoked
for tho preservation OF the purity
OF waters that are used for 10.
racet!c pgFpc aas, because tho hsai;h
Of the people depends upon tue purity
OF tho water they drink. On the
ground that sheep hefoul streams and
syringe, this police power has been ex.
erclsed to an extreme, not to say ex-
trnvagant, extent, in laws that have
baon psssed upon the SUI set. The law
row IN iorcs prohibits the qupr,ering OF
sheep within seven miles OF stream,
towards which the drainage from sheep
is carried. Who ever hoard OF drain.
age from oJrral beiug carried ovef
seven miles OF ground by natural
mehnt2 And yet the bill now pend.
ing propnses to make this distance
diteen miles, Oovioualy, so tho sheep
men say, this law was passed este asibly
for one purpose but In reality for
another, lis real design being to ex.
Guide them from portion OF the
public dom 'in to which they have the
same rights as other cltiz me. This
being their Wow they have not felt
morally bound to obey the law,
aud one result has been the
beiouling of watere used for domestic
purposes, followed by. well authenu.
Gated cases Of sickness due 10 this
cause.
The Legislature may OF course con-
troll tho lands OF the Stat; bnt It's
efforts to control the lands beongin I,
to the United States havs On far proved
unsatisfactory, and 1t is d.fil suit to ice
how SUCCESS in this line is to be a.
tainej. To do this under the guise Of
preserving the purity VI the waters is
hardly practicable to more than very
limited extent.
The Legislature ought 10 pass law
that will, II enforced, preserve the
purity of waters used for domestic
purpoaee; ami snch Rusraniee1 that
the law viii be enforced as the Leg 3.
lalure has the power to give should Q
given. Beyond this it is citlicult to
see what tue local lawmlhers can 90
in the premises until the public lands
of the State become more generally
reduced 10 private ownership.