The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1905-01-19


railways on the run. Unfortu-
nately, however, it ls not posi-
BILE to obtain the necessary re.
lief under the present status OF
the interstate commerce law.
The commission can only find the
railways guilty Of unreasonable
rates and has no power TO pre-
scribe what it calls reasonable
rate. 1t can only recommend to
the department of Justice, prose-
cutions for the defiance of the
law, and history shows that III
not one of these recommendations
has the attorney general OF the
| United States ever taken any ac-
ton. 1t is u realization of these
facts that has caused the cattle
men of the country to strike at
the very root of the evil by asking
that congress shall clothe the in
terstate commerce commission
with the necessary power TO make
and enforce rates. The matter
has been brought before congress
through the medium Of the eXecu.
tive message, and an attempt Is
now made in Washington to de-
wise some plan that will bring the
proper relief.
The cattlemen have not charg.
ed the railways with being respon-
sible for market manipulation.
They know that the packing IN
terests Of the country are respon-
sible for that phase of the situa-
ton, and they are hopeful that
out of the Investigations that
have been made by the depart.
Y ment of commerce and labor and
: the pending injunction suit to re-
= strain the packers that is before
the supreme court Of the UnlteC
I States there will be some form o.
: tangible relief. The fact that thu
g so.called beef trust is prosperin!
: while the cattle industry of thu
a entire country is languishlng, i
S pretty conclusive evidence tina
l. there is work being done not cal
IS culated to advance the interest
e of the producer. With an actua
'e shortage of cattle prevailing
q throughout the country, 1t wouI
seem to the impartial observe
that the prices just now would b
rapidly getting back to the MOI
l. nal prices were it not for the dc
re termination Of the men who ar
t. engaged in making the prices.
y The fact that there is II form {
evolution in progress in the Gait
- industry is not responsible tt
It. low prices. On the contrary, thu
es evolution is continually resultir
in the shortening Of the suppl,
ne through the curtNilment of tt
NO western ranges, and the natur
rs consequences should be an e,
% hancement in values. The M
lie iority Of the stockmen out III u
re- range country have recognized u
mt drift of affairs and have made b
he efforts to meet them. They ha
il. reduced the size Of %heiC herds
an fit the conditions induced
oh range restrlcticn; and are strivl'
mt to make quality take the place
in. quantity. They are marketi
he now by the car load instead of t
ers train load, and some of the lal
in est ranches in the west that ma
I'd. heretofore had 2-year-old steers
a y sell by the thousands, in
oGe spring will not have a single
cal load to sell next spring.
cts 1t is true that some of the o
was time ranchmen can not recon(
we'd themselves to the new condltlC
nch that have arisen in the cattle
bile dustry, and sigh for a return
live the good old days when grass
on free and the range extended IT
ont Canada to the Gulf of Mex
,ine But they represent n very sn
hen minority. The man who is st
hat ing with the cattle industry
mis-. has come to realization that
old must own his range, and that
,ger can only undertake to carry
rHck number of cattle that his ra
nan. will easily accommodate. Ht
dis Just as progressive in his views
.nsit any other class of citizenship,
GUS he is only asking that he be
lives mitted to remain on the lace
ntrv the earth and enjoy that W
, in his money has paid for. They
rests only asking from the railways
,h n other interests that which
! the have a legitimate right to eXI
wavs In other words, the cattlemel
oned Texas are only demanding
rights. and it may be stated
in hdcntially that they will
alton them
attle-
~ In. cured Lumbago.
o al \. b, Canman, Chicago,