Arizona republican., 1903-01-17
The Livestock Industry and the
 Arid West.


 The annual convention of the Ma tional Live Stock association at Kan sas City has developed an unusual amount of interest-because. perhaps the live stock industry is vitally in terested in some of the questions which just now are bothering the national ad- ministratiOn.
 As was to be expected. the conVen- tion heartily endorsed President Roose- velt's suggestion that congress provide for a commission of experts to settle the range problem which serves as bone of contention between cattle and sheep interests. There is. of course but little possibility that this session of congress will carry out the presidents recommendation, but proper co-opera- ton between the executive and the live stock interests of the country should assure remedial legislation in the Fifty-eighth congress.
 Unfortunately, there appears to be no common ground for cooperation be- tween the stockmen and the govern ment in reference to fencing the public ranges. Through intelligent discus sion of the range-leasing plan during the past year, the conclusion has been generally reached that that system is not practicable on any oi the lines heretofore proposed in congress, but apparently the administration adheres to it's determination to force the re- moval of range fences from the public domain.
 This is all the more regrettable, be- cause the policy of excluding fences is based on incomplete information, and is pursued in deference to a clamor which has little reason for existence The cry has gone forth that ''the public domain must be preserved for the home maker" and it has been supplemented by the slogan The cattle baron must go." There can be TO two opinions as to the justice-the necessity, even-of protecting all agricultural land in the public domain for the benefit oi the home-maker, and no range. fenced or unfenced, should be permitted to in terfere with the cultivation of the soil. But the truth is, that there is a ridi- culous discrepancy between the acreage actually available for farming and the acreage claimed to be available by those who have studied the question but superfcially.
 coo non ooo the public domain, but an insignificant fraction is capable of being farmed without irriga ton. For instance, the regions in Nebraska in which the most the live stock men and the government over the range fences, are for practical purposes almost as arid as the land in Arizona. The same holds true of the vast area included in the plains oi western Kansas, eastern Colorado western Oklahoma, and western Texas The rainfall throughout that region is so capricious as to baffle all efforts al successful farming, and it is in reality nothing but a good grazing country Practically but little of these high plains is susceptible of irrigation. Nc water for irrigation is available except in the immediate neighbOrhood of a few water courses, and the contour of the country as well as the small volume of running water precludes irrigation of any consequence. And taking the arid region as a whole, it would be ex- ceedingly liberal to estimate that oi the entire 6OO,OOOOOO acres, there is water in sight for 1O,OOOOOO acres.
 What is to be done with the re- mainder? Ii range stockmen are to be excluded, or even if their range rights are to be disregarded and their fences are to be removed. the loss will fall upon the western communities and the live stock industries jointly, and mo- body on earth will be the gainer.
 It may, and probably does, appeal to the envy of the average. citizen to see a prosperous cattIeman drawing his revenues from a fenced range on the public domain. But after all who is
 
 by driving the cattleman away? Ger tainly, no profit would accrue to the agricultural hOmeseeker. The tens of thousands of men who have met dis aster and fallen into poverty through trying to farm in the arid region with out first taking due note of the defi- cient rainfall or the lack oi water for irrigation, should serve as a warning to those who would invite another rush of immigrants upon the public domain in the arid regions of Kansas, Ne braska, Colorado and the territories.
 And it should be remembered that the prosperous cattleman is no special favorite of fortune. Such wealth as he has accumulated has come through +''-'' ,....,-.ss, .se.. ,O...~ s...O,.z.-