The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1904-01-02
AGAIN THE RANGE QUESTION.

Now that the question of irrigation
from an agricultural standpoint has
evolved into a National law, which is
in operation and under whose provisions
the first irrigation work is generally ap-
proved, particularly so in the State
of Nevada, the attention Of the entire
West is turned to the question of saw
ing aud utilizing the millions OF acres
known as the public domain. The
claims of the cattlemen, the sheepmen
and the mineral p~rospector are given in
the problem already in hand and which
must be solved in the nea future. The
conditions existing in the State OF
Wyoming, as related below, may be
found greater or lesser in other States
Of the West, and in reproducing this
editorial from the San Francisco Gail.
the SENTINEL joins Senator Warren in
his invitation for "the West to get to-
gether":
At the recent meeting of the Wyom-
ing State Industrial and Producers As
ISOLATION, the statistics of the livestock
interests of that State were presented.
Wyoming was formerly q leading cattle
State, but o~verstocking the range fed
out and destroyed the forage for cattle,
and they were replaced by sheep.
Sheep are more destructive to the range
than cattle. for they are closer feeders
and soon take up the seed and the roots
of all forage plants.
Every dry country ranged by sheep
has been deprived of its forage and re-
duced to desert conditions. In moist
Scotland and England the long-wool
sheep Craze without destructive effects,
but in arid Spain the grease-wool Me-
rinoes have destroyed the country, as
they have in Eastern Europe and West
ern Asia. The sands cover Persepolis
and the cities of the plain that were
once proud political and commercial
capitals and the seats of empire because
sheep and goats destroyed vegetation
and brought in the desert. 1t is appar-
emit that unless there is some regulation
of grazing it will soon be seen that
Nature plays no favorites on this
Continent, but hat like causes will
produce like effects here.
Wyoming is in a condition to make
known the progress of this destruction
more accurately than any other State
or Territory in the arid belt. When
her cattle-grazing on the public range
practically ceased it was ascertained
that her loss in cattle values could be
made good only by substituting thirteen
million sheep, and it was then admitted
that so many sheep would reduce the
State to a dust heap. As a matter of
fact six million sheep replaced the lost
cattle. and these have so far perfected
their work on the public range that the
number is being reduced at the rate of
a million a year. This is the fact that
startled the Association, which is
charged with promotion of the interests
Of the State. 1t was admitted that if
the range were under control the forage
could be renewed and increased and
cattle growing could become a leading
industry, while such control would also
be for the benefit of sheep-owners. who
would not overstock, and would get
better value out of their stocks by their
having better feed.
In discussing this subject Senator
Warren said that for years the Repre-
sentatives Of the arid West disagreed
over plans for irrigation. Some wanted
all public lands coded to the respective
States. that the States might take up
irrigation in some form; others insisted
upon deriving the millions needed for
irrigation from the Federal Treasury by
direct appropriation, like the River and
Harbor Bill. So, some having one plan
and some another, the whole matter
Jagged. At last, and unexpectedly, the
West got together, pushed aside the
grafters and doctrinaires aud the men
who dream dreams. and passed the
present Irrigation Law. deriving. the
fund for that purpose from the sale of
the public lands aud devoting it to its
purpose under Federal Oversight.
The Senator said that O like concert
and agreement would probably be
reached in a measure to protect that
vast 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
Government. 1t should exact such a
rental on the four hundred million
acres of range land as will make a large
annual contribution to the Irrigation
Fund, to which it should be devoted.
1t should leave the entire range area
open to the homesteader and min
eral p~rospector who comes bona fde,
and III should ha in all roopacts safa