Fergus County argus., 1901-08-07
MORE OF LIE SAME KIND.

editorial that appeared in the Great
Falls Tribune of last Wednesday. The
writer says:
1.-The Fergus County ARGUs contends
that the desert land act has done more
TO build up the stock industry of Mon
tana than all other land acts combined.
II IL means by this that IL has enabled
the big stocllmen TO keep out the little
fellows and thus build up and maintain
the size of their herds, possibly we
might agree with it, but IL it means
that the desert land law has actually
increased the number of cattle and
sheep in the state it is utterly mis-
taken"
There never was greater evidence of
mieinformation or wrong deduction
than is contained in the above refer
ence TO the statement of the ARGUs, at
least as 1t applies To Fergus county.
Along in lsSl-5, when there was but
desert land act, Fergus county. then
unorganizcd. contained fully 100000
head Of cattle. there being in the neigh
borhood of 3?, 900 head in two outfits.
About this time rapid settlement of the
county began, and with il great de-
mand for land under all of the acts
then in force. Although the hard win
ter of 1857 reduced the number of
cattle nearly one-half, this loss would
have been made good in a few years
but for the fact that many of the range
men found that land was being taken
mp and fenced and that il they were to
continue I'm the cattle business they
must move on or change their system
altogether Thousand, Of cattle owned
10y capitalists" and non-rcsidcnts were
driven ont of the county altogether,
while a few large outfits reduced their
bands somewhat and went 10 toacquiring
land to insure the safety Of their busi-
ness. Today the largest band of cattle
in Fergus county numbers 10000 head,
and while the owner is a large land
holder ne has acquired fully three
fourths of his land by direct purchase
from parties who had taken up and inn
proved the same in good faith. very lit
tie of his holdings having been acquired
under the desert land act. From -, 900
To 100000 head in 1851. when big out
fits. capitalists and non-rcsidents
commanded the ranges, the number Of
cattle have been reduced to 10000 in
round numbers.
Now, what is taking place in this
county? Simply this: All of our out
of-door industries are getting ON a
permanent and sure basis. Instead Of
trusting to the open range for cattle
and sheep growers are finding that they
must raise feed, and in order to do this
they must have land and are availing
themselves of all of the land laws
for that purpose. Not the capitalists"
alone, but the poor man, the man of
small means, as we'll As matter of
fact the few large concerns are securing
more land under the communication pro-
vision of the homestead act than they
are under the desert land act.
We believe the desert land act has
aided in increasing the number of sheep
in this county, but possibly the home
stead act, of which the Tribune has
nothing to say. has been greater fac
tor, but the securing of feed, in what
ever form, has caused the number OF
sheep to increase. Without hay lands
our floclxs would soon diminish and
along with them the assessable wealth
of the county.
Our contention is that the desert land
law has been a greater benefit to the
actual settler and man of moderate
means in Fergus county than to the
capitalists" or big outfits. With the
few ranchers in the county and the
military post of Fort Maginnis to pay
cash for all the oats they raised our
farmers made money for several years
and gave very little attention to stock
raising. But with the abandonment OF
the post and consequent limited
market. they found that they must
change their methods of farming. We
remember that some twelve years ago
the AHGUs advised them to turn their
attention to stock raising. that little
bunch of cattle would prove the best
investment they could make in the alb
sence of market for cereals and veg
etables. Today the majority of cattle
in Fergus county are in small holdings,
aud by men who raise little of every
thing. And il is just as essential that
they put the bulk of what they produce
now into stock rs il was decade ago
But iu order To- do this many of our
ranchmen discovered that they had To
have more land than their homestead
right gave them. AftcrcNercisng that
they found il necessary. in order 10 get