The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-04-27


heavy loss financially. The, Hoskins
company. he says, owns 500 acres OF
land in Umatilla and Morrow coun-
ties within so miles of the reserve
The company for the past five years
he says, has ranged from 1000 to 5000
sheep in the reserve and maintained
permanent camps.
J. F. Connolly in his complaint says
he applied for range for 23OO head of
ewes and their increase, amounting
to about 400 head, but that his appli-
cation was cut down to 1850 head with
their increase. amounting to about
1000 head. He says he owns 5000
acres of land within so miles OF the
reserve. He also owns 12O acres
within the reserve and 500 acres with
in miles of it.
Present Their Grievances.
| Fully 100 Washington and Oregon
| sheepmen were present in the court
room at l o'clock this afternoon when
Chief Ranger Schmitz called the
meeting to order. Superintendent
Shelter took the chair and in a short
address outlined what the meeting was
for, namely, to hear the grievances of
the Oregon sheepmen. He read the
minutes Of the meeting held December
16, the reports of tn committees ap-
pointed, the allotments of the Wena-
ha reserve, the number of sheep and
cattle each owner would be allowed to
Craze on the reserve, the complaints
of the three Oregon sheepmen referred
to and a criticism appearing in a Ia
coma paper in which it was charged
that the forest reserve officials had
shown favoritism to the Washington
stOckmen in the allotments.
After conference between Attorney
J. H. Raley, ]. S. Smythe, represent
ing the Oregon sheepmen and Oscar
Cain. representing the Washington
sheep interests, Mr.. Raley wah given
permission to address the meeting and
present the grievances of the Oregon
sheepmen. In presenting the Oregon
side of the controversy, Attorney Ra-
ley said he did not believe the forest
reserve officials had shown any favor
itism to any one interest in allotting
the Wenaha reserve. From the way
the reserve was appOrtioned at the
Walla Walla meeting he contended
that the committee, on which the work
of allotting the territory devolved
was not familiar with the Wenaha
reserve and undoubtedly this was
largely responsible for Oregon's sheep
men not being accorded the rights
| they We're entitled to. Col. Raley de-
clared that, according to the forest
reserve rules, the committee had erred
in classing sheepmen into classes A
and B, as they had been. Sheepmen
of both Oregon and Washington, he
said, put into Glass A were in a
class they did not belong to. Most of
them he contended belonged to Glass
B, which is designated as pertaining
to owners who reside at distance
from the reserve but have for years
CT in, hn hob; Of Hniv
stock in the forest reservation.
The chief grievance, Col. Raley said
was that 10000 Washington sheep had
been allotted territory in the reserve
! lying in Oregon, while 10000 Oregon
sheep that have been grazed in this
| territory for years past had been en-
tirely eliminated. The Wenaha range
he said lies about equally in Wash
ing ton and Oregon territory. The
Oregon sheepmen contend that they
have prior rights to that part of the
reserve lying in their own state. Col.
Raley asked that the matter be con-
tinued in order that the Oregon
sheepmen might have an opportunity
of submitting affidavits, evidence and
other information to back up their
assertions. He hinted that the whole
question, in event of an adverse de-
cision of the forest reserve officials
would be appealed to the department
He said that under the present ar
rangement 10000 Washington sheer
are in the reserve compared with only
$4,000 Oregon sheep.
Superintendent Shelter in reply tc
Col. Raley said that it was not the
policy of the government to recog-
nize state lines in allotting grazing
territory in forest reserves. Up to 81;
this afternoon no satisfactory ADJUST
ment of the conflicting interests hat
been made.