Red Lodge picket., 1902-02-21
CALLS IT DASTARDLY
James Fullerton Points Out Dangers to
Settlers in Proposed Graz
ing Bill.
HELPS RICH, HURTS POOR

"Leasehold' Clause Means Miles Of Fenc-
ing and Expenses Under Enactment
Would Be Enormous.
EDITOR RED LODGE Picket:
have been carefully perusing II. r.
1912, the bill for leasing the grazing
lands. 1t is without question the most
dastardly attempt to freeze out the small
settler that has yet been made. say
dastardly, because it comes in the guise
OF friend to protect the poor from the
rich cattleman. 1t allows a settler to
take ten acres Of leasehold for each acre
OF freehold. The average ranch is 800
acres. which would entitle the holder to
1900 acres Of leaseland at cost Of S64
per year in advance. In order to benefit
by this he must fence it. To do so will
require eleven miles Of fence, which will
4
cost him 81, 500. II he is able to borrow
that amount it will cost him 5l50, or
more likely $3.50, year for interest
That will make S24O a year. not count
ing the depreciation in value of the wire
and the constant care such fence re-
quires.
Now, sir, ] would like to know how
many settlers in Carbon county are in a
position to 60 to such expense. Where
is one who can do so? There are doZ-
ems who have a hard struggle to keep
their heads above water in the present
condition of affairs. As soon as this bill
passes it becomes law. That means that
the small settler who has fifteen or twen
ty head Of horses or cattle must at once
90 to that expense or lose his range for
twenty years. Very few settlers can
take advantage Of the act and the men
who can will lease their range and at
once order them to remove their stock.
Where to? 10 their ;}2O-acre ranch. In
many cases a man has GO or 50 acres
available for cultivation on each quarter
section. 1t takes 40 acres of unirrigated
range to carry a COW more than that
overstocks the rangeso that man
must limit his stock to four head or feed
them on his hayland, and therein lies
the true deviltry of this measure. Hav-
ing frozen the small man off the range
limited him to four or five head, he must
sell his hay. Who to? To the big man
who has frozen him, out, and at that
mans price,
preference shall be given to owners
$ sE =: for land abutting their free
hold" How many ranches are there
today in this county that do not touch
! by mile or two any government range'
There are several on Clarke Fork anc
many in the lower Rock creek country
that know would be left absolutel,
without range under such conditions
What would their ranches be worth un
der such law? They would be worth
Just what the man who owned the rang
was willing to pay for them.
ssThe right Of homestead is reserved.
What good would homestead be in an
other mans pasture? Who would b
fool enough to take one there? If sucl
a law passes immigration will cease an
the big cattle outfits will once more ow
the country.
There is now steady stream Of em
grafton to Canada. Several out of thi
county are going this spring, and jus
let that lease law pass and half tn
ranches in the county will be for sal
and their owners going to Canada.
OF course this is exactly what tn
trainers OF this law want. The. only fal
way to lease the range, if our Uncle
reduced to such straits that he mus
squeeze the last drop of blood from IL
poor settlers who have endured all kline
Of privation and hardship to acquire
home is to tax the cattle and leave tt
range open. Let every man pay one dc
lar per head to the irrigation fund +.
every animal he runs on the open rams
each year and collect it with the take
That will give every one an equal leblanc
because self preservation will preve
over stocking a range.
II every small nan were able to ayf
himself of this leasing privilege the b
cattlemen would be thing Of the pa.
but it is an absolute certainty that
can't avail himself of the provisio
of the act that is causing the attempt
pass it.
s'The lands shall be leased for T
years, with an option of a second tel
of ten years. They are determined tn
in no ordinary lifetime shall the pc
man of today ever have a chance to lea
f.n4 af Il E.,n,, ennnnsinfr that = Il