The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1905-12-08
USE OF THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

AAuAAOC1 VI NCD1dShd oGOChl1lcIl Oll
the charge of fencing and using for
grazing purposes certain public
lands in that state without the con-
sent of the government, may result
in more stringent restrictions being
issued by the Interior Department
and may end in curtailing the priv
ileges heretofore given to stockmen.
just how. far the department may
extend it's edict or wheather it will
adopt any measure towards the
abridgement Of the privileges hith-
erto generously extended, remains
to be SEEN. However, this question
lis being SO generally agitated that
it may cause considerable uneasi-
ness on the part Of stockmen and
materially interfere with their plans
by reason Of the uncertainty as to
what course the government may
pursue.
The Pioneer Press, of St. Paul,
which is usually conservative on all
public questions, in a recent edito-
rial under the caption of "The Cat
tie Range Incubus" has the follow
ing to say
"Almost every week brings some
fresh proof that the. range cattle
business Of the west is an incubus
on the growth Of the country, and
that, SO far from being afforded any
further protection or encourage
ment from the government it should
be wiped out at the earliest practi-
cable moment.
The land occupied by the cattle
men is nearly all a portion Of the
public domain. Where private IT,
tie has been secured, it will nearly
always be found to have been Sc
cured by some fraud upon or per-
version of the land laws. But in
numerous instances all the rights Of
private ownership are assumed and
exercised without shadow of title.
The laws prohibiting the fencing
in of public lands is ruthlessly VIC
lated. Settlers seeking to establish
homes under the protection Of ma
tional law, are driven off, their
property destroyed, and the process
Of courts made laughing stock.
For in the range country, the cat
tleman is king, and everybody bows
to his wishes. Juries will not con-
vict the law breakers, or if convic-
tions are secured, the penalties as
sessed are nominal.
In a recent series of suits brought
by the Interior Department against
cattlemen in Nebraska who had IL
legally fenced in $4,000 acres of
public land for their own private
use, the district court declared the
crime a mere statutory ofense"
and assessed their punishment at a
fine of $500 and six hours confne-
ment, which were spent convivially
in the custody of the United States
marshal.
If range lands had no present
market value, if no one else wanted
to use them and no damage was
done by the grazing of cattle, there
would still remain the fact that
public property was being used by
cattlemen to their own large profit.
with no compensation to the people
at large. But every day is demon
strating that, under the irrigation
or the modern methods of dry farm
ing, any land which is good enough
for grazing, is good enough for ag-
riculture. Divided into small farms
the range . will support several
times as many cattle as under the
present system. Under the latter,
too, immense damage is done, as is
witnessed on thousands of. acres
where the grass has been practic-
ally killed by over-grazing. Land,
the occupancy of which is practi-
cally theft from the government, is
not apt to receive the care Of a
husbandman from the thief.
There would be no wrong done
in an outright prohibition of cattle
grazing on the public lands, fenced
,,,fonoo7 NLo oo%+1oroo,, ,,~,,,1~l
simply sell their stock, get their
money and quit" or they would
resort to legitimate stock farming
on land which they have the privil-
ege of acquiring on the same terms
as other citizens. The outcome
would be more and better beef pro-
duced by more humane methods,
as we'll as the removal of one of the
greatest obstacle to the develop
ment Of the west. ''-Mandan Pio-
neer.