The San Francisco call., 1903-12-26
AGAIN THE RANGE QUESTION.

T the recent meeting Of the Wyoming State In
n dustria and Producers Association, the statistics
Of the livestock interests OF that State pre-
sented Wyoming was formerly leading cattle State,
but overstocking the range fed and destroyed the
forage for cattle, and they replaced by sheep
Sheep destructive to the than cattle for
they closer feeders and take up the seed and
the roots of all forage plants.
Every dry country ranged by sheep has been de-
pved OF its forage and reduced to conditions In
moist Scotland and England the long wool sheep Craze
without destructive effects but in arid Spain the
wool Mernoes have destroyed the country they have
in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The sands
Per5epos and the cities of the plain that once
proud political and commercial capitals and the OF
empire sheep goats destroyed vegetation and
brought the apparent that unless there
is regulation of grazing it will be that
nature plays avortes this continent but that like
will produce like effects here
Wyoming is in condition make known the
progress Of this destruction accurately than any
other State Territory in the arid belt When her
cattle grazing the public range practically ceased
ascerained that her loss in cattle values could be
made good only by substituting thirteen million sheep
and then admitted that many sheep would
duce the State dust heap As matter of fact six
million sheep replaced the lost cattle, and these have
far perfected their work the public range that the
number is being reduced at the of million year
This the fact that startled the association which
1t admitted that the range under control the
forage could be renewed and increased and cattle
growing could become leading industry, while such
control would also be for the benefit of sheep-owners
who would not overstock and would get better value
of their stocks by their having better feed
In discussing this subject Senator Warren said that
for years the of the arid West disagreed
plans for irrigation Some wanted all public lands
ceded the respective States that the States might
take UP irrigation in form; others insisted upon
deriving the millions needed for irrigation from the Fed
eral Treasury by direct appropriation like the river and
harbor bill. So, having plan and another
the whole matter Jagged Atlas and Unexpectedly, the
West got together pushed aside the grafers and doc
trinares and the men who dream dreams, and passed
the irrigation law deriving the fund for that pur
pose from the sale of the public lands and devotng
its purpose under Federal oversight.
The Senator said that like concert and agreement
would probably be reached i'll protect that
proportion of the public domain which is fit for
grazing, and for grazing only. This plan when reached
should leave the title to the land in the Federal Gov
1t should exact such rental the four hun
dred million acres Of range land as will make large
annual contribution the irrigation fund, which it
should be devoted 1t should leave the range area
open the homesteader and mineral prospector who
comes bona fde and should be in all respects safe
guarded against monopoly and speculation.
1t is be hoped that the Senator right in his con-
cluson that such an adjustment may be reached At
present exilng land-seekers and livestock
men. They going Canada and Mexico and TAX
ing Our livestock industry with them We are acting no
intelligenty than did Louis XIV when he ex-
PEELED the Huguenots from France and banished with
them the and crafts of the country brought
that destruction of industry which caused the French
Revolution.
AS Senator Warren has been for years a leading
advocate of the cession of the public domain range and
all to the States it will be that impressed by the
decay of sheeprunning his State, he abandons dog
matte attitude and invites the West get together
That is the first rift in the cloud and it is to be hoped
that his extension OF the olive branch will the
West get together. The path be pointed
in the Presidents proposition for commission ex-
anime the whole land question and report by bill.