The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-04-24

.oA o. o M"'"i' cial duty is to clear
the government land of private fences
work that requires courage Of high
order, for the annual sacrifice of lives
IN the Vests great range fight IL esti-
mated at 500 victims, and death By as
sassination is the common lot Of those
who dare oppose one faction or an
other.
Col. Mosby, whose headquarters are
at Sterling, COL, the center of great
cattle country, declares that some Of
the cattle kings have fenced in and
appropriated to their own use tracts of
land larger than many German princi-
palities. In defiance Of the law, they
have seized upon government land,
fenced it in, forbidden settlers to touch
it, and have made themselves wealthy
from this illegal use of Uncle Sans
property.
How Public Land IL Taken.
Near Sterling one big cattle company
built fence which shut off nearly 25,-
600 acres. 1t did not completely inclose
the land, but extended a line from the
Union Pacific to the Burlington Rail-
road fences, thus forming vast TRAN
gle. In this space thousands Of head
Of cattle were kept, only a few cow
boys being required to look after the
immense herd.
When Col. Mosby ordered the COM
pany to take down the fence. the objec-
fior, ica hof ho1
violation Of the law because only one
side Of triangle had been inclosed.
Despite the fact that the illegal fenc-
ing law has been practically dead
letter for twenty years, Col. Mosby is
insistent in enforcing 1t, and he has
stirred up the cattle owners from the
Rio Grande to the Canadian line. The
authorities at Washington are stand
ing by him in his work, however, in
view of the steady encroachments of
cattle interests on public land in the
last few years.
1t Is estimated that in the Alliance,
Neb., districts alone there are STAG, 200
acres of government land fenced in.
This land is worth nearly $1O.OO0.OOO.
and on it the cattlemen have nearly
10000 head of cattle.
There have been many mysterious
disappearance Of settlers in the cattle
country in recent years, and urders
are Of common occurrence. Whole
flocks Of sheep have been destroyed,
ranch houses have been burned, and
al he nf hn icf ho
been everywhere in evidence.
The war of the cattle and sheep in
terests Of the West has been a matter
of history for several years-and bloody
history at that. The cattlemen COM
plain that a flock Of sheep will ruin a
grazing country by trampling the
ground so that the grass will not grow
again They have fought the sheep men
in the courts, and have been beaten,
and now the favorite method of war
fare is to get company Of cowboys
and make raid on lone sheep herder,
who may be tending several thousand
sheep.
The herder when he sees a company
of masked men ride into his flock,
shooting the animals right and left,
knows that If he attempts to interfere
his life will be the forfeit. He can do
nothing but stand by and see hundreds
of his sheep killed or MANNED, and
finally takes the remnant OF his flock
and hurries to another and safer part
of the country, while the cattlemen
nf thn until
some other herder ventures on the for
hidden ground.
This vendetta Of the range seems to
grow more bitter as the area OF graz
ing land is cut down. Each new home
stead means so much less profit in the
pockets of the cattle owner, and In con-
sequence a feud is declared that makes
Corsican affair seem tame in cOmpar-
ison.
Colonel Mosby's determined stand
against the fencing in Of public lands
will do much to simplify matters, IL
the example of the famous Confederate
leader is followed by other United
States officials. The next step will be to
bring peace between the three con-
aictinp interests of the range country
the cattle owners, the sheep men and
the small ranchers.
Until some sort Of truce Is brought
about. the yearly record OF violent
deaths on the range will more than
enual the mortality Of the American
army in the Philippines.