The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1905-12-30
THE GRAZING FEE
SERVES FOR ACTUAL RESI-
DENTS.
FAVOR SMALL ST0CkMAN
Answer to Protest Of Colorado Gait :
men UphoIds Secretary Wilson's
Reouiations-WouId Help the
Home Makers.

Washington-Pr President Roosevs,t.
in a letter addressed to Secretary WI
/. son OF the Department of Africult are
on the subject OF fees for grazing
horses and cattle in the rational Tor.
est reserves. upholds the secretary IN
the regulations formulated by him and
which will become effective January !.
1906. whereby certain rules are laid
down for the granting OF grazing per
nits.
The communication is the result o.
q protest sent to the President by cat
tlemen from one OF the western sta IS.
and is based on report by Secretary
Wilson, to whom the protest was re-
ferred The letter of the President fol-
lows.
My Dear Mr. Secretary-I have .e-
ceived your letter of December goth
cordially approve OF the policy you are
carrying on Your effort is to keep
the grazing lands in the forest resery 5
for the use OF the stockmen and espe-
cially the small stockmen who ao .u-
ally live in the neighborhood of the Ie-
serves.
% prevent llt waste ana ueStf I.f-
tion of the reserves and to keep tn N
SO that they can be permanently us Il
by the stockmen no less than by the
public you have to spend a certain
amount of money Part of this mon
Is to be obtained by charging SIN i
fee for each head OF stock pastured m
the reserve. Less than third of the
actual value OF the grazing is at pres
ent charged and it is OF course per-
fectly obvious that the man who pas
lures his stock should pay somethiuc
for the preservation OF that pasture.
He gets all the benefit of the pasturc
and he PAYS for its use but small
fraction Of the value that it is to him
and this money is in reality returned to
him. because il is used in keeping the
forest reserve permanently availatle
for use. You this year make a special
reduction by which the ranchmen pay
but half rates. This is in accordance
with the steady policy of your depart-
ment as regards the western lands.
which is to favor in every way the act
ual settler, the actual home maker. the
man who himself tills the soil or him
self rears and cares for his small herd
of cattle. In granting grazing permits
you give preference first to the
small nearby owners: after that to all
regular occupants of the reserve rang.
and finally TO the owners of transien'
stock
This is exactly as It should be. IT,
small nearby owners are the HON
steaders, the men who are maxim.
homes for themselves by the labor %.
their hands, the men who have entered
to possess the land and to bring up
their children thereon. The Other reg
ular occupants of the reserve range.
that is, the larger ranch owners, are
only entitled to come after The smaller
men. II after these have been admit.
ted there still remains an ample pas
turage. then the owners of transient
stock, the men who drive the tramp
herds or tramp fiocks hither and
thither should be admitted. These
men have no permanent abode, do but
very little to build mp the land. and are
not to be favored at the expense OF the
regular occupants, large or small. This
system prevents the grass from being
eaten out by the herds or hocks of
non-residents, for only enough cattle
and sheep are admitted upon the re-
serSes to fatten upon the pasturage,
without damaging it, In other words.
under the policy you have adopted the
forest reserves are to be used as the
most potent influences in favor of the
actual home maker. of the man with a
few dozen or few score head of cattle
which he has gathered by his own In
dustry and is himself caring for. This
Is the kind OF man upon whom the
foundation of our citizenship rests and
It is eminently proper to favor him In
every way"