The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-07-25
Matters Of Interest to
Those Of Our Readers
Interested in Live Stock
And Kindred Industries \.

outbreak in 1872. There is no such
thing as migratory cattlemen. The
nature of the business prohibits it.
They must have fixed habitation, a
ranch, land plant, with fences, build
ings, hay fields and means to pro.
tect and care for the cattle in win
ter. These have been the growth of
30 years or more, and vary all the
way from the ranch worth SIS, 900 up
to the Investment of 81, 900, 900, on
every dollar Of which and all their
cattle fnll taxes are paid to the local
county. They now find everywhere
that countless migratory bands
of sheep, 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 lines, and not only drive
and run their cattle out, but are
also utterly destroying for all time
the feed on the range.
ITO illustrate, our company pays
into the treasury. Of Harvey county
a very large sum annually for its
and the states benefit. Hundreds
1
of thousands of migratory sheep
pour into that county in the sum-
mer from Idaho, Nevada and else
where and utterly devastate the
range and retire in the late fall,
without contributing one dollar to
the county tax fund; but, on the
contrary, lessen it's tax roll by cut
ting in two the amount of cattle and
sheep it's residents could carry and
pay taxes on if the migratory sheep
bands were kept out, although that
county has am ole range and feed for
all the stock it could own and win
ter. In these cases it is not 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 Agricul-
tural Department show just what
such state of affairs leads one to
!. expect that the cattle are rapidly
decreasing in the trans Missouri
states and territories. For in
stance, in Wyoming in the last ten
years over fifty per cent; in other
localities, sixty-six per cent, and in
some places even more; hence the
price of beef is constantly advancing,
and has now reached a point that IN
the eastern cities makes it luxury
to the common people.
Another reason of great import
ance for such law is that the ran
ges are now open battle-fields be-
tween sheep and cattlemen, and
also between sheepmen themselves.
In these battles last year the homi-
cides were numerous There have
4 been many this year, three in one
fight short time ago. One here
can have no idea of the intensity oil
this feeling on the ranges of Wyo.
ming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico
and other states. In many local..
ties small cattlemen see their homes
and ranches of twenty years stand.
ing invaded by the vast bands Of
migratory sheep. and they have or.
sanized and established dead lines
and are guarding them today with
!, rifles; but the sheepmen come to the
!. edge, hesitate perhaps a time ani
then say: We have the legal RICH,
! tocross; our sheep have eaten it clear
) behind us, and we must cross. AND
they do. Then comes bloodshed
i homicide and the law openly VIC
!, lated. Each side shoots as vel
{ as the other. 1t is obvious this can
) not 60 on in civilized country, AMI
) nothing Can stop it but a lease-holt
law.
j "But the controlling reason TO
. the passage of this law is that tn
8 range, with its capacity to furnisl
8 meat food for the country, is being
J, rapidly destroyed. This destruc
3. ton has advanced during the pas
a two years with lightning rapidity
u Already there are large districts il
], Nevada, Utah and Wyoming wher
: the destruction is an accomplishe,
fact, and nothing grazes where larg
s focks Of sheep and bands Of cattl
i once fattened. The immense in
crease Of the migratory sheep il