The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-21
IDAHO sTOCKMEN COMPLAIN
TRAMP HERDS ARE EATING UP
THE RANGES.
Transients From Surrounding States
Devour the Grass and Leave Moth
ing For Settlers.

According to the statement of a well
known stockman Of Cassia county, Ida
at the Cullen hotel last night, the cattle
Alturas counties are in bad condition
for the winter and they are much
aroused against what they term
tramp" herds. They have not taken
any action nor formed any organiza-
ton, but there is much feeling against
the wandering stockmen whose cattle,
sheep and horses eat away their ranges.
J. z. Bower of Rock Creek. who is at
the Cullen, having come here on bust
ness, has been in the southern part of
Idaho since 1873. He has worked hard
during that time and has succeeded in
acquiring 1000 acres of land and has
about 1900 head of stock He has
grown up with the country and he
thinks that his cattle have a better
right to the ranges through some of
these counties than have those of wan
dering cattlemen.
Every spring and summer thousands
of horses, cattle and sheep are driven
from other parts of Idaho, from Oregon
and from Utah to feed on these ranges
on the desert lands of Logan, Cassia,
Alturas and Owyhee counties.
These are wandering herds which
have no home. Some of them are be-
ing driven to the markets at Denver,
Omaha and st. Joseph, others came
from ranges in Utah. where they have
wintered. Thousands feed on these gov
eminent lands every spring and sum-
mer right around my place and around
the ranches of other men who have
spent years in building up their homes
1t is not right. When winter comes on
we have no feed for our cattle We
must grow alfalfa or buy it and it is
worth s. per ton now.
But because these fellows eat the
ranges clean we must feed cattle during
the winter. We never know where we
are at We never know if we must be-
gin feeding in October, November or
December and we can't figure on how
much hay ii is necessary to grow. If
we feed three or four months all our
profit is gone. \ yearling is now
worth $50 up there. He will eat thirty
day or $3.50 wo~th a month In four
months he must be sold for more than
$50 in order to make profit. You can't
get that price and we won't get il next
spring.
Il have a ranch and property worth
$4,000 and pay taxes in Cassia county,
where taxes are high. Some of the wan
uSIiHS tramp utTOS come from some
counties in Utah with a wagon and
team of horses and $30-a-month
herder. where taxes are 10 cents per
500. They pay their taxes in the
spring before they leave Utah and come
on ranges about my home where l pay
$40 on the slQ0.
Then others driving slowly across
the country from Oregon to the eastern
markets come along and eat the range
clean. They don't pay any taxes in
Idaho. They are merely tramps.
What is the result? Why stockmen
in Cassia, Logan, Alturas and Owyhee
counties are making no money. Thous-
ands of head Of stock were sent out
this fall and sold at low prices because
it wouldn't pay to buy hay and feed for
four months. Every man who didn't
grow enough hay to feed his cattle
through the winter has sold. If it
wasn't for these tramps he could have
held his cattle till he got better prices in
the spring.
There is a remedy if the department
Of the interior would only consider the
matter. Let it lease these desert lands
to the highest bidder for the use of his
stock. AS the native stockmen would
thus be able to get the ranges they
could keep the tramps away and we
could feed our cattle without buying
nay, We could make some money and
We are entitled TO it for we have built
up that part of the state.
The stockpen are aroused about this
natter, butsas yet they have taken no
action. They ought to appeal to the
Idaho members of congress.