Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-05-13
PRESIDENTS WAR ON THE BEEF
TRUST.

PRESIDENTS WAR ON THE BEEF
TRUST.
HE ORDERS RANGE FENCES TORN DOWN
STOPPING ILLEGAL USE OF PUBLIC
DOMAIN BY WESTERN CArrLEMEN
President Roosevelt is satisfied that il
the illegal use of the public domain fol
pasturage can be stopped, and the fences
unlawfully raised by the Cattle Trust to
inclose millions of acres of Western
public lands can be torn down, the
power of the Eastern Beef Trust will be
neutraiized, and the price of beef to the
consumer will inevitably fall. Double
war will be begun on the Beef Trust on
the one hand, under the statutory limita-
tions against conspiracy to control the
supply of beef, and on the other by en-
forcing compliance with the public land
regulations which forbid cattlemen to
fence in public reservations for pasturing
purposes. This question was the all
absorbing topic under consideration at
the regular session of the Cabinet recent
ly. The Presidents determination to
order down all fences which have been
built for miles in the grazing states in
which there are public reservations was
clearly set forth in a positive statement
communicated to Charles Goodnight, of
Denver, Col, president of the Interstate
Land and Cattle Company, with head
quarters in that city. Prominent asso-
ciates with him in this enterprise are R.
was sent to the president of this COM
pany in answer TO an appeal made di-
rectly TO the President for permission to
retain possession of a portion of land for
which an i'll founded claim has been
made with remarkable persistency. In
compliance with one of the requests in
this appeal, the date fixed for the
evacuation of this area was extended
from April to July l. 1t was also
ordered that if these men were discover
ed attempting to build fences on or to
lease public lands, the order granting
the desired extension of time to vacate
would be rescinded. The Presidents
decision was then embodied in general
order, which was sent to every land
agent in the West.
The land occupied by the Interstate
Land and Cattle Company is in the
southeastern part of New Mexico, in the
counties of Chaunes, Eddy and Quad
alOupe, being portion of the tract con-
cerned in the Beales and Rayuela claim.
For years it was occupied and fences
were constructed thereon. Cattle num-
bering forty thousand grazed within the
fencing. A few years ago the right of
these claimants to use the land was
contested. Finally decision was given
by the Supreme Court declaring the
land to be public territory of the United
States ceded by the Mexican Govern
ment. The claimants were commanded
to surrender it, but on the plea that they
had expended large sums of money for
and would be ruined by
being required to move Immediately,
they were permitted to remain until
April l last. They appealed to the
of the Interior for new
respite. This was refused, and then an
appeal was taken to the President, set
ting forth that contracts had been made
to deliver thousands of cattle by June /,
which could not possibly be done if the
fences were taken down, because the cat
tie of the International Land and Cattle
Company would mix with Others pastur-
ing near by. 1t was cOntended that it
would be impossible to separate them in
time for prompt delivery, failure to do
which would cause the company's tinan-
cial ruin.
ENCRoACHMENTs OF CATTLE MEN.
One of the primary causes of the jump
in the price of beef without any benefit
to the individual cattle raiser has thus
been brought to the attention of federal
CHANGING at the records it was
discerned how gradually in the last three
years acres upon acres have been gobbled
up by the agents of the cattle men, or
the Beef Trust. Reports of unlawful
fence raising reached Washington one
after another. Following them came
of obstinate refusals tol
obey the orders of agents endeavoring
to carry out their instructions. A crisis
in the beef question has now come with
the determination of the President to
clear the public lands of unlawful in
truders. The enforcement of the
measure planned by the administration
for the sheep men, who may Craze their
Ilocks freely without being cheated out
Of pasture fenced unlawfully. As al
matter of fact, neither of these rangers
has right to utilize the public lands
for grazing purposes, but to control the
movements of animals to that extent is
almost an impossibility with the present
force of land office employees.
When difficulty about the grazing
lands was first suspected by Secretary
Hitchcock, before the rise in prices OF
meat was noticeable, he tried to effect a
solution of the problem by securing a
regulation to rent the public lands to
grazers at 81 head, as is now done in
all Indian reservations. Grazing in the
lncultivated lands of the Comanche and
Kiowa Indians, for instance, are more
than fifty thousand cattle, for which a
ranger named Burnette pays 81 head. |
But the proposition of the Secretary of
the Interior, being referred to the At |
-orney General by executive order, was
with an opinion that it would
be unlawful to levy such rent. AT
present there is movement on foot,
" hich the cattle and meat interests now
using public lands for pastures hope to
use as means to postpone the evacua-
ton day-to secure, namely, the passage
Of bill by Congress providing for the
leasing of public lands at the rate of two |
cents a head for the use of each acre.
But officials cannot view this suggestion |
with favor, remarking that, pending the
and discussion of such legis- |
ation, the lands must not be used by |
grazers. Il
1t is ascertained that among several
other troublesome concerns in New
Mexico is the Cass Land and Cattle |
Company. There are upward of fifty
Individual cattle raisers in Nebraska
W no have built fences on public lands
without authority, and in Kansas,
Wyoming, Oregon and Colorado there
are other interests, corporate and private,
which have unwarrantably cOnfiscated
the land of the United States by fencing
it in to feed thousands of cattle. There
is reason to believe that all these tres
passers are allied under one powerful
eadership.-Tribune Farmer.
What becomes of the cattle is easily
shown by the shipment in single order