Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-05-02
FENCES MUST CONE DOWN
President Roosevelt Says Public Do
main Must Be Free to Use
of All.
Illegal Fencing of Government Lane
To Be Stopped and Fences to
Come Down.

|,
Washington, May 1.-President
is satisfied that if the lille
gal use of the public domain for pas
turage can be stopped and the fences
unlawfully raised by the cattle trust
to enclose millions Of acres of western
public lands can be torn down, the
power OF the beef trust will be netl-
tralized and the price Of beef to the
consumer will inevitably fall.
A double war will be begun on the
beef trust on one hand under the stat
utes against conspiracy to control the
supply of beef and ON the other by en-
forcing compliance with public land
regulations which forbid cattle men to
fence in the public reservations for
pasturing purposes.
This question was the all absorbing |
topic under consideration at the regu-
lar session of the cabinet recently. but |
public information regarding it did !
not come to light until today and then |
only in a fragmentary way. The pres
ident, for obvious reasons, preferred
not to discuss his plans too long in ad
vance of this proposition.
The presidents determination to Or
der down the fences was clearly set
forth in a positive statement commun-
icated to Charles Goodnight of Den
yer, Colo, president Of the Interstate
Land and Cattle company there, who
had appealed directly to the president
for permission to retain possession of
portion of the land for which an ILL
founded claim has been made with
remarkable persistency. In compli-
ance with requests in this appeal, the
date fixed for evacuation of this area
was extended from April / to July 1.
1t was also ordered that if these men
were discovered attempting to build
fences on CT to lease public lands. the
order granting the desired extension
of time to vacate the desired extension
of time to vacate would be rescinded.
The presidents decision was then
embodied in a general orer which was
sent to every land agent in the west.
This order will affect large areas in
Dakota, Montana and Nebraska. as
we'll as in Colorado. New Mexico. Ari
zona and California. 1t shows that
the president means business in his
fight against the beef trust.
The president and cabinet think the
monopoly Of the public lands is un-
fair and should be broken up. It in
jures the legitimate raiser of stock in
the agricultural states. Once pre-
vented, the latter classes would get
more money for their stock than they
can hope to get under present condi-
tions. But the president wants to
hit the beef trust, and this seems a
good way.
Representative Lacey of Iowa, chair
man of the committee on public lands,
yesterday introduced a bill to author
lease portions in the public domain
for period of five years, at the end
of which time leases are to expire,
without any rights of renewal. The
intent of the bill is to give ample time
for cattlemen to arrange to vacate
without incurring unnecessary losses.
tyxrrr
three, four, five and six cents a head
an acre, according to the grade of land
occupied. A division of the lands
would be made under this bill by the
secretary of the interior. To this
bill there are many objections in the
opinion of several senators, and the
common belief is that it is too general
to bring about satisfactory results
The bill was framed as a substitute
/, for another one, now shelved, which
proposed to lease lands for ten Years
at the rate of two cents head an acre
with the right of indefinite renewal
, From the activity and excitement pre-
vai1ing here with respect to the solu
ton of the public domain question, i
is evident that the forthcoming figh
in congress to secure the adjustment
, OF the matter will assume a most sen
s}ational character and consideration
Z of it appears to be near at hand. Lead
ing senators have expressed thes'
Z ideas adding that every one knows /
must come sometime.
i Building Trades Affected.