Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1903-12-18

Tne great secret OF ne fortunes
made In the stock industry In the last
fow years has been free range" gays
Charles Moreau Harger in the Outlook.
over a vast territory, extending from
the open plain Of Texas up through Okla
homa, Kansas. eastern Colorado, Me-
braksa n Wyoming 10 the states along
tho northern border. reached unending
leagues OF grass. Most Of II even went
to waste because there were none TO
take 1t. On this the herds and flocks
fed, and there was plenty for all But
the settlers pushed further into the
west; Oklahoma added other areas Of
Indian land: Irrigation took from the
land at the base Of the foothllls-the
stockman found that he was being linn
tied in his free pasture. He tried to
drive out the settler. but In vain; per-
secutions and the destruction Of crops
were met by laws like the 'two-mile
limit statute, keeping the agriculturist
safe. The sheepman went on with his
flock and took the range as he zane to
1.-THE cattleman could not follow, for
the cattle would not eat after the sheep.
So the cowboys declared war on the
shepherds. M sought to limit their
range. To some extent this has been
done; but the conflict Is bitter. resulting
in bloodshed and deeds OF intolerable
cruelty-nor Is II yet ended. 1t Is tempt
Ing for the sheepman to move to new
pastures at the risk OF attack. ever
though he knows that n cattleman has
long been In possession and will fight
to maintain his place: for II is we'll un-
derstood that the range Is open to all.
"a western authority say that IN the
last ten years GEO 600 sheep have been
wantonly killed by cowboys. at a loss to
the owners of 81, 900 900. 1t Is also esti-
mated-no me can tell surely. for all
the tragedies OF the range DO not come
to llght-that 500 man killings have an
nually accompanied the sheep killings.
sometimes the settlers. whose homes
are threatened, mako common cause
with the cattlemen md Join in the
slaughter. Only last July a band Of
masked mon, mounted. killed the herd
ers Of several thousand sheep In Central
Wyoming and killed thousand OF the
sheep. In addition. 5000 sheep. which
were near by. were left without herders
and were scattered on the hills, result
ing further loss. Rilemen surround
1ocks and kill every sheep. driving of
the herders. a flock OF 5000 Angora
goats was killed In western Colorado in
August. The papers OF Oregon describe
the terrible devastation produced by
dynamite thrown among the huddled
bands OF sheep, the explosion ending the
existence OF whole flocks. and some
times killing the shepherds as we'll. The
cattlemen throw these deadly explosives
from some height, or charge on horse
back into the frightened nocks for their
scheme Of wrath. Flocks have been
driven into narrow canyons and dubbed
to death; they have been hurried over
precipices and destroyed. One man
fought the battle for years, finally, after
losing $4,000 sheep giving UP the range
for which he commended.
The settler who 'homesteads' a claim
In the edge Of the free range has ono
great terror-whnt II the Hocks or herds
should come! He knows that the crops
so carefully tended would 60. the garden
would be made desolate. He has re-
course through the law TO be sure, but in
the wilder portion Of the west II Is somo-
times a slow process.
Recently the government has issued
an order that the sheep must DO kept of
the forest reserves. the last refuge OF
the wandering locks and their worried
owners. These were the only lands OF
which the cattle were not generally
grazed. go the sheep were turned In. But
they destroyed the shrubbery in their
efforts to gain ~sustenance, and so the
order went out TO stop such practice.
There seemed to be no choice but to try
conclusions with tho cattlemen again,
and hostilities opened with renewed
vlgor. The miners and campers and
hunters try to keep stock out OF the
mountain parks, and the boundaries
constantly less for the wanderlngs
OF the locks and herds. The range Is
becoming thin. too. The grass is over
pastured, and. In the opinion Of expert
stockmon. does not to-day give more
h q half the sustenanco that Il did n
decade Ago.. Various plans are proposed
to renew II. but they are as yet in en-
bryo. and do not help the man with huge
flocks Of sheep that must be fod. In
no end there must be a most extern
siyo leasing or ownership Of the grazing
lands. and the rights OF possession must
DO obeyed. Until that time comes the
conflict for the free feeding grour6s
WI rage"
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