Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-19
MISCELLANEOUS.

Some time ago the attention of the
American public was called to the rapid
ty with which the last of the bisons are
leaving the earth forever, and methods
of perpetuating this most characteristic
of all American animals were suggestedR
The question as to whether the buffalo,
or bison, is to become extinct has inter-
ested people of this continent for nearly
half a century. but the alarming evil
denceS of the past decade point to a sol
emn fact. That the buffalo is soon to
take his everlasting departure from the
earth unless heroic measures are soon
adopted is now patent to all who are in
formed on the subject. i5 IL
The buffalo is one of two aboriginal pa
triarchs that were found when the hand
of conquest and discovery first lay hold
upon the western hemisphere. The
American Indian is the other. That the
one has Jared but little better than the
other, is now apparent. The time was
when the ndian and the bison claimed
proud dominion over all the untamed
leagues from ocean to ocean. The devas-
tations of ~encroaching civilization have
caused both to suffer until their exit
seems only a matter of conspiring time
In 1882 the last of the bison was killed
east of he Mississippi river. Down to
1870 they still numbered many millions
in the far west.
The building of the Pacific railroad was
the signal for the destruction of these
vast herds. They We're slaughtered with
out mercy for profit and sport. The most
pitiful story in the history of all animal
life is Prof. William 7. Hornaday's report
on the extinction of the American bison.
The mania for slaughter seems to have
affected every one. The English lord, the
miner, the cowboy and the emigrant slew
right and left, dotting the plains with
thousands upon thousands of tons of
tons of bleaching bones that have since
been gathere up and transported to the
sugar refineries on the Atlantic coast.
These herds, that could have readily been
converted into domestic animals and pre-
served as a permanent source of wealth,
have been literally swept from the face
of the earth.
The cattle which nave taken their
place are unable to Withstand the rigors
and severity of the changeable climate.
Where the bison turned his head to the
storm and fought it out with the biz
Zard. the American cattle of today turn
tail to the wind and drift to destruction.
The bison was clothed expressly to resist
the severity of the climate in which he
was living. There are at present 400 liv-
ing buffalo in the whole world. The herd
of the Flathead Indians, the Buffalo
Jones" herd, the Goodnight herd, the
Corbin herd, a few specimens here and
there in the geological parks, remnants
still of perhaps 20 in the Yellowstone Ma.
tional park and a few scattered "wooG
buffalo" west of Hudson's Bay embrace
all tina are left of the countless million.
of a generation ago. f
In a more favorable climate. with AIDE.
iquate protection and opportunity 70
ranging, breeding may be carried on
Experience has shown thai in close con
finement most of the calves are, males
but on the open range, under more nat
ural conditions. the birth rate of the tw,
sexes is about equal. If no one were mol
willing and able to try the experiment o
restoring a sufficient number of thes
animals to insure them from total ,extinc
ton, 1t would be the duty of a great gov
Iernment like ours, regardless of expense
to do whatever could be done to that enc
Experiments in the propagation of thi
lanimal in the Yellowstone park have bee
signal failures. 1t is easy to see that tn
bison. like the Indian, must be domesti
Gated or disappear. After a few year
of domestic breeding they should b
raised without affording the extensiv
trange formerly necessary to their cultur,
A range sufficiently large, though fence
in. should be provided for that purpos,
This government should provide it.
natural home, both summer and Winte
There remain vast areas of unoccupie
public lands where the buffalo fOrmerl
iroamed n bred with much f%ruitfulnes
Out OF the 600, 000, 900 acres remaining I
the public land it is proposed by a bi
introduced in congress to set apart
tract OF 10000 acres-nOt free of charg
as the sheep and cattle men now use tn;
land bu. subject to q nominal rental
one cent an acre. and also two buffalo
kind which are to be delivered to IL
government a year for the use of Il
public parks.
Owing to a misunderstanding Of Il
boundaries the original bill provided 4
an unnecessarily large area, and the NO
lat once aroused. The committee, In Z