Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-12-23

SMALL RANcAMEN FAVORED
President Argues That Men Who Are
Making Homes and Roaring Children
Should Have First Chance, Larger
Owners Should Como Next and
Transients Last.

washington, Dec. 13.--F fesluehs
Roosevelt. in letter addressed to Sec
retary Wilson of the department OF
agriculture. on the subject of fees for
grazing horses and cattle in the ma
tional forest reserves, upholds the sec
retary in regulations formulated by
him, and which will become effective
January l, whereby certain rules are
laid down for the granting of grazing
permits. The communication is the re-
suit of protest sent to the president
by cattlemen from the western states,
and is based on the report OF Secretary
Wilson, to whom the protest was re-
ferred.
The letter of the president follows:
my Dear Secretary: have receiv-
ed your letter OF December Goth, and
II cordially approve of the policy you
are carrying on. Your effort is to
keep the grazing lands In the forest
reserves for the use OF stockmen, and
especially small stockmen, who actu-
ally live in the neighborhood OF the
reserves, to prevent waste and de-
struction of the reserves and to keep
them so they can be permanently used
by the stockrnen, no less than by the
public, you have to spend a certain
amount Of money. Part of this money
! is to be obtained by charging small
fee for each head of stock pastured on
the reserve. Less than one-third the
actual value of grazing is at present
charged, and it is perfectly obvious
that the man who pastures his stock
should pay something for the preserva-
tion of that pasture. This money is
in reality, returned to him, because II
Is used in keeping the forest reserve
;.permanently available for use.
"You this year make special re-
duction by which the small ranchmen
tpav but half rates. This Is in accord
ance with the steady policy of your de-
| ma rtment as regards western lands
which is to favor in every way the ac-
| tual settler, actual home-maker, the
man who himself tills the soil or HIM
self rears and cares for small herds OF
| cattle in granting grazing permits, you
give preference first to small nearby
owners; after that to all regular occu-
pants of the reserve range and finally
! to the owners of transient stock. This
| Is exactly as it should be. Small near
by owners are homesteaders, men who
| are making homes for themselves by
the labor Of their hands, men who
have entered to possess the land and
bring up their children thereon. Other
regular occupants of the reserve range
that is, larger ranch owners, are only
entitled to come after the smaller meE
IF after these men have been admitted
| there still remains ample pasturage
then the owners Of transient stock, mer
| who drive great tramp herds or tramp
fIocks hither and thither, should be ad-
mitted. These men have no permanent
abode, do but very little to build up the
land. are not to be favored at the ex-
pense Of the regular occupants large OF
small. This system prevents the grass
from being eaten out by great herds OF
floods of non-residents, for anly enough
cattle and sheep are admitted upon the
reserves 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 among
the most potent influences in favor Of
the actual homemaker, 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 the man upon whom ths
foundations of our citizenship rest. ant
it is eminently proper to favor him II
every way.
"Sincerely yours,
"THEODORE ROOSEVELT"