The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-03-09
WORK ON LAND LEASE BILL
NEXT FEW DAYS MEAN MUCH TO
WEST NEBRASKA.
LETTER FROM A cArTLEMAN
The Lease Bill is Said TO be the Only
Method Of Settling the Problem.
Fair to Small Man as Well as Large.
Fences are a Necessity.


Fair to Small Man as Well as Large.
Fences are a Necessity.
Within the next few days action
will be taken in congress on the land
leasing bill, and the result will be Of
most vital importance to the state OF
Nebraska and especially the western
part of the state. The News Is in re.
ceipt of letters and kilograms from
small cattlemen," as they are termed,
regarding the lease bill which was
drafted by c. H. Cornell of Valentine
and introduced by Congressman Kin
kaid. The cattlemen of the western
part of the state, so far as can be as
certained, are in favor of the bill.
The bill as introduced by Congress
man Kinkaid provided that the NAM
moth tracts of sandhill country in
western Nebraska shall be leased out
to cattlemen, going to the highest bid
der, in an unlimited quantity, and that
the lands shall be fenced by the ten
ants.
Congressman Lacey OF Iowa, who is
Shdll luuh VI tut tOlInulNlCt lilut hdo
charge Of the bill, has introduced a
bill of the same sort, but limiting the
number of acres that shall be let to
any man at 5000. Mr.. Cornell, as was
reported in Saturdays telegraphic re-
port, objected to this bill on the
grounds that it was not adequate in
that 5000 acres are not enough to al
low man to make living, and that
in Cherry county there are now 200
herds occupying the entire county
while under this law, these same 200
herds would have but one-third the
county to feed on, which, he claims,
is not enough.
A letter printed in an Omaha paper
last week from someone in the east
ern part of the state objected to this
bill on the ground that the fencing
provision would drive out the small
man, as he could not afford to fence
his lands. The News has received a
letter from a prominent small cattle
man" of western Nebraska, who an
swers this argument by saying that
the fences are just what the Small
man does want, as well as the big
man.
THE fences are absolutely essen
tial," he writes "In the first place,
we can not get credit at the bank un.
less our herds are under fence. We
must have credit in order to borrow
money with which to handle our cat
tie. The banks won't loan on herd
that is milling around over the range.
Years ago there were no fences and
herds mixed on the plains. This
mixed the breeds and it was impossi-
BILE to improve the standard of the
breeds. | have recently bought high
priced bull for my herd. What is the
result if my cattle are all turned loose
on the plains? 1t is not the big"
man to be benefited by the lease bill,
more than the small man. The small
man can't afford to herd his cattle if
he has but 100 or 200 head. The re-
suit is, if he has no fence he is driven
out of business.
"The untaken lands next the home
steads are OF no use except for graz
ing and not good for that unless there
is running water in them and meadow
land with which to provide hay for
the winter
THE Kinkaid homestead bill was
the worst blow ever dealt to western
Nebraska. Homesteaders can't make
a living on these lands by farming.
They tried and failed years ago. They
cant do it even with unlimited gov
ernment land adjoining, so how could
they do it with the addition of only
4S0 acres. This was a piece of rail
road legislation to get poor people
into this country to lose what little
money they do have.
"In my opinion the only way this
problem can ever be settled will be
by means of a fair lease bill"