Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-11-11
LEASING THE
PUBLIC LANDS
Dan w. siayton Contributes to the
New York Tribune an Interesting
Article on This Subject.
HE FAvoRs A MODERN PLAN
Mr.. Slayton Believes the Leasing in
Small Tracts Would Promote
Governmental Policy.

governmental Policy.
A recent issue of the Tri-Weekly
New York Tribune contains the fol.
lowing article on leasing of the pub.
lie lands, from Dan W. Slayton, of
Lavina:
Sir: Permit me to lay before the
readers of the Tri-Weekly Tribune
some reasons In favor of a leasing
system for the remaining public
lands; and as so few eastern people
are fully posted oil the conditions
prevailing in the arid regions. | would
like briefly to review the situation,
past and present. With the destruc.
tion of the buffalo and the confine-
ment of the Indian to reservations.
the vast plains east of the Rocky
mountains were soon covered with
cattle; the native grasses-scanty,
but second to none for nutrition
produced beef fit for any market. Man
is essentially selfish. and as more and
more were attracted to the business
in the early sos, and eve before that,
certain parties handling their cattle as
an association would advertise their
range as overstocked. and that they
would not round up" with any new
corners; in other words, they did not
want any more cattle turned on what
they were pleased to call their range;
and so they would not help gather
and brand the intruder's cattle when
handling their own. This scheme for
pr~eserving-or hogging, according to
the point of view you take-the
range failed, for the reason that IL
they would not round up together OF
necessity the cattle were handled just
that much more. All being eager TO
get the most possible out of free
grass, the ranges were gradually oyer
stocked, until the climax came in
1856 and 1887, when an unusually dry
season was followed by a severe win
ter, resulting in the destruction of 70
per cent of all range cattle in eastern
Montana. Since that fatal winter the
cattle business has been conducted or
a much more conservative basis. and
only a few owners now fail to provide
a fenced and sheltered winter range,
supplemented with more or less hay
stacks.
The sheep business, in the mean
time. was growing rapidly. Unable to
defend themselves from the attacks
of the wolves and coyotes, each band
required a herder and for winter a
shed. This meant more homes and
more personal attention, so that a
large portion of the early locations
were made by sheep men, and as they
were invariably made on the best bot
tom lands along the streams. they con-
tributed in no small degree to the de
struction of the cattle in 1886. An
other difference worthy OF attention
Is that so long as there was free
range and no preparation for winter
necessary 1t vas just as easy for half
a dozen men to own all the cattle as
to divide up between as many hun
bred, while with sheep experience
proved that there was a limit to the
numbers which m man could profit
ably supervise, hence a greater num-
Der of individual owners.
II Is quite customary to boast OF cur
immense area, ETC.. lest the ea%sterner,
as well as the man of the west, get a
false impression OF our greatness. Let
me say that it has been estimated by
conservative men OF wide experience
that it takes forty acres of u aver
age range land to support n steer
for a year. Think of this, and then
wonder why the public lands are be-
ing slowly taken up, while population
in the range districts Is practically
at a s~tandstill.
When the rich agricultural lands In
the rainy middle west were being TAX
en-. the settler had practically as great
an amount at his disposal as now, for
the desert act as now modified either
costs all the land is worth in the way
of reservoirs or is an invitation to
fraud and false swearing. ! am &C
quainted with a number OF desert
| claims, and say, without hesitation,
that | don't know of one honest at
tempt to comply with the new law,
though there are doubtless some. and
| the reason Is there is 10 water unap.
propriated, except in the large rivers,
where a ditch is too expensive for the
class our land laws are supposed 10
benefit.
COMMITTED homesteads and assign
ed desert claims are the rule; mean
time the wealthy outfits are securing
title to the water In vast areas by
these and other a IL has been
reported that as much as 10000 acres
have been located by one individual
by means of soldiers scrip, In 40. 80
and 1870 acre tracts, these placed on
springs, water holes and running
streams so as TO control as large a
range as possible, and so there arc
frequently whole townships without
more than one or two permanent wa
ter holes on them. IL is easy to sec
what such an amount can accomplish.
The east Is Mortified at the barbar-
ity of the west when they read OF
feuds on the range and cattle and
sheep men at war, but ] think IL
speaks well for the west that there
Is not more trouble In a country OF
such dimensions, where the most val
liable asset is grass, and that Is free
to those strong enough to take II, and
the control of which is entirely out OF
our hand.
The school lands. the property of
the state in trust, are leased for terms
OF five years, and no difficulty Is ex-
~perienced with them. while at the
same time they have brought In a
fine venue to the schools.
Why should not the general gov.
l. - A-I IA.rZt Nkn
proceeds to the reclamation fund?
When national aid was first seri-
ously considered for irrigation In the