The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-07-25


down gradually, feeding the mead
ows until haying, but comes all al
once in the early spring and ther
4 the meadow dries and wastes. The
water in times of flood rains, instead
of passing over the sod that the
natural grasses made on the hills
without removing the soil, finding
the sod gone, tears up the earth and
sends it down on to the arabic land
below, covering it with deep depos.
its of sand and destroying it's value.
The same causes have destroyed i'm.
mense areas of valuable lands st the
foot of the Caucasus and the Pyre-
nees. A sudden freshet in Febru-
airy last in southern Harvey county
and Nevada brought down from the
hills immense quantities of silt, and
buried roads and meadows in many
places more than foot deep, and
to a degree never known before
by the Oldest inhabitants. For the
destruction of the ranges with all
its future consequences, no human
being can suggest any practical
remedy, except its lease-hold con-
troll, and that forces the passage of
such law in Congress.
"We are frequently asked if it
will not be difficult to frame and ad-
minister such law in a manner
that will do justice to all, By no
means. Such laws exist in Austria
liza and Texas with satisfaction to
every one. Texas owns all public
lands. Both Jurisdictions found
themselves confronted with the same
difficulty we are now in and adopted
the only remedy-a wise lease law.
In each place the stock business is
now on a permanent basis. Each
stockman knows how many sheep or
cattle he can carry without injuring
his lease-hold. Nothing could induce
either Texas or Australia to abro-
gate its lease laws and throw open
its ranges to the old condition OF
overstocking, consequent destruc
ton, and continual battle ard viola
ton of law.
"The law will be for all, sheepmen
as well as cattlemen. Many sheep
men favor it, and are just as anxious
for it's passage as cattlemen. This
is especially so of the sheepmen who
have fixed habitation, ranch
where they cut hay and care for
sheep in winter. am in receipt of
daily communications from such
men, who tell me that while they
cannot join the American Cattle
Growers Association, they favor
such a law and want to aid its pass
age in every manner possible. The
whole situation was adequately
summed up few weeks ago by one
of the most prominent sheepmen
in Wyoming, who said that he real
lied that the time had now come
that every one who owned sheep or
cattle on the public range must have
the ability to control definite por-
ton of it by lease.
"a vital feature of the new law
will be protection'by preference of
right to lease to actual residents and
owners in a county, this to cut off all
possibility of foreign syndicates
coming into county and renting
the land away from the local resi-
dent stockmen. The bill will b,
fully safeguarded against any such
star-routing. Another equally i'm.
pcrtant feature will be the prohibi.
ton against leases being put up at
auction. Many small stockmen
have been justly and naturally
frightened by the suggestion that
f the leases would be put up to the
highest bidder, and wealthy corpo
rations thus secure them all. The
\ auction feature will be prohibited
and fixed reasonable rent estab
lished. The most important feature
that the proposed law will contain
will be provision adequately pro
tect;ng the small stockowner, anc
assuring his right to a full proper
tionate share of the ranges in hi.
respective county. This must ant
will be plain and emphatic. No bill
will ever pass the Congress of tn
: United States that does not contain
, the three principal features abov,
named in unequivocal language