Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-07-08
FENCES MUST GO.
Cattlemen Find That They Cannot
Have the Order Changed.
ACRES OPENED TO SETTLERS.

A Washington special dispatch to
the Denver News, under date of July 4,
says:
The cattlemen have made a final and
wholly unsuccessful effort to secure
some modification of the official order
for the removal of the fences from the
public ranges of the country. A del
egation of western senators and con
gressmen appealed to the president
yesterday to grant further extension
of time for the removal of the drift
fences on the ranges. The president
frankly and firmly declined to further
hold back the enforcement of the or
der. The men then appealed to Mr..
Hitchcock, secretary of the interior,
but were equally unsuccessful.
When the order was issued by the
president for the removal of the fences
in April the cattlemen urged a delay,
asserting that their herds were being
prepared for the spring markets and
that the enforcement of the fence re-
moval order would work a great hard
ship and financial loss upon the cattle
owners. Upon that showing the pres
ident, who understands the conditions
on the ranges, agreed to defer the en-
forcement of the order until July /.
The cattlemen took advantage of ,he
respite and made every effort to Sc
cure the passage by congress of a leas-
ing bill, which would give them author
ity to fence up something like 325, 000,-
600 acres of the public lands in Tie
western states.
Mr.. Hitchcock. secretary of the in
terror, made an open, determined and
successful fight against the passage of
any leasing bill. He demonstrated to
the satisfaction of the committees on
public lands that any such enactment
would serve as a practical bar to lne
homesteading Of these lands and would
also work a hardship upon the small
cattle owners in the west. The bills
were all defeated. Then the cattle
owners renewed their pressure upon
the president for a further modifica-
ton of the order. They urged that
they be allowed to retain their drift
fences. These are lences across the
ranges, at distances of from twenty
to thirty miles apart, which serve as
protection to the cattlemen, preventing
their cattle from drifting away from
prescribed sections. These fences
were allowed to stand without much
objection by the government officials
until the cattlemen began fencing
across the ends and connecting the
drift fences into enormous pastures.
Settlers who attempted to remove
any of these fences, for the purpose
of making roads, were frequently as
saulted and brutally treated by lie
cowboys. Millions of acres on the
ranges are now fenced in and held by
cattlemen, without any warrant of law.
The president and the secretary of tie
interior are determined hat these
fences shall be removed.
There is no DESIRE" said Mr.. Hitch
cock today, 'on the part of the depart
ment to cause the cattlemen any in
jury or loss, but there will be no fur
Their modification of .-e law for their
benefit. If they show a disposition TO
remove the fences they will be given
a reasonable time to do so, and will be
allowed to make provisions for the pro-
lection of their herds. But the ranges
belong to the whole people, and the
settlers and small cattle owners will
be protected in their Fights" V
Special agents of the land depart
ment will give attention TO this matter
during the summer months. Reports
of violations of the law and the refusal
of the cattlemen to remove the fences
will be made to the department of Jus
tice and the violators prosecuted.