The Dickinson press., 1901-08-17

tSeUluuO 9VOI1nR %lanQ-ieaSlng was
passed. Asbill providing fori Ii was intro
ducedSin congress- that winter, and the
subject at once became a3ageneraI theme
Of discussion. Public opinion in The
arid land states mostly affected appeared
adverse. This wal caused BY the owner
Of the innumerabie bands Of migratory
sheep, who naturally oppose il. and by
the small cattlemen. who, notwithstand-
ing the proposed measure, feared that
they would be frozen out by large cattle
or sheepmen monopolizing the leases.
But in the past year and a half events
have followed so rapidly on the ranges,
and the facts became known,that public
opinion has changed with great rapidly
on the subject. In Colorado. for instance,
the change is almost absolute. The.
cause Of this change will be perceived
by the answer to the questions you ask
as to the reasons for the law, and a gen
eral knowledge of its proposed features.
Growing of cattle on the ranges of
the arid states is the pioneer industry,
commenced and brought to a high state
of perfection many years before sheep
we're there at all. Most Of the older
cattlemen fought the Indians in starting
their plant. The company l represent
in Harvey county, in this state, lost all,
of its buildings, much of its stock and
the lives Of some Of its employees in the
Indian outbreak in 1873. There is no
such thing al migratory cattlemen. The
nature Of the business prohibits il. They
must have a fixed habitation, a ranch, a
land plant, with fences, buildings. hay
fields and means to protect and care for
the cattle in winter. These have been
the growth of 80 years OF more, and vary
all the way from the ranch worth $1,000
up to the investment of sl,ooo,ooo on
every dollar Of which and all their cattle,
full taxes are paid to. the. local county.
They now find everywhere that countless
migratory bands Of sheep, a majority in
the hands of Basques and Portuguese,
who are not citizens, and pay no taxes to
the local county. and have no ranch or
landed headquarters anywhere, swarm
all over their ranges, up to their fence
Hines, and not only drive and run their
cattle out, but are also utterly destroying
for all time the feed on the range.
"To illustrate, u company pays into
the treasury Of Harvey county a very
large sum annually for its and the states
benefit. Yet hundreds of thousands Of
migratory sheep pour in that county in
the summer from Idaho, Nevada and
elsewhere, and devastate, the range and
retire in the late fall, without contribut-
ing mi dollar to the county tax fund;
but, on the contrary, lessen the tax-roll
by cutting in two the amount of cattle
and sheep its residents could carry and
pay taxes on if the migratory sheep
bands were kept out, although that
county has ample range and feed for all
the stock it could own and winter. In,
these cases it is moi a free range. because
the cattle will not Craze where sheep are,
and the herder with his dog readily
drives them off if they attempt it. The
statistics furnished by the Agricultural
Department show just what such a state
Of affairs leads n to expect-that the
cattle are rapidly decreasing in the trans
Missouri states, and territories. For in
stance, in Wyoming in the last 10 years
over 50 per cent; in other localities F66
per cent, andiin some places ever more;
hence the price of beef is constantly adj
vancing, and has now reached a point
that in the eastern cities makes it a lux
ury to the common people.
MI1ru pY noncuED now