Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-13
CONTROL or GRAZING LANDS.

CONTROL or GRAZING LANDS.
Theodore Roosevelt, president OF
the United States, evidently remem-
bers many of the things that came
within the observation and experience
of Theodore Roosevelt, who used to
manage ranch NJ. in Dakota. Proof
OF this is found in the letter of the
president TO Senator Warren of the
senate committee on agriculture,
touching upon an amendment to the
agricultural bill relating TO the gov
ernment's policy in regard 70. the con-
troll of grazing lands In the public do
main. Debate ana discussion on this
topic have been rife in congress for
several years, since the determination
of the president to stop illegal. fencing
Of public lands and to restore the rem
nant of the public domain to the home
steader, for whom II was originally
intended. The pending amendment
to the bill. offered by Senator Burkett
of Nebraska, authorizes the secretary
of the interior to district the unre-
served lands and to charge and collect
a reasonable fee for their use for graz
ing purposes. The amendment offered
an opportunity for representatives of
the big cattle men and the sheep graz
ers to present their claims before the
committee and the congress for a con-
tinuance of their occupation, however
illegal, of the nations public lands.
Both sides were heard by the commit
tee, each naturally making a strong
showing, before the. reading of the
presidents letter. which lends an en-
tirely different aspect to the case.
The president contends, in most eff
fective terms, that the public domain
has been reserved for the homesteader
and that no action should be taken by
the congress that will deprive the set
tier and the small ranchman of his
rights in the premises. He also adj
vances the most effective argument
that the leasing and disposition of the
public lands should be governed by
local conditions and should be based
on the judgment of western men IA
miliar with local conditions. the de-
mands and necessities OF the stock
raiser and the rights of the home
steader. He carries this to the point
of recommending that the surplus fees,
above the cost of administration,
should go to the states or territories
in which the grazing lands are located.
The keynote of the presidents letter Is
that the small stockman and the home
steader shall be protected, that the
man who is spending his,-yeaEs, his
money and his efforts to wrest home
from the desert shall have the first
option on grazing lands IN his vicinity,
to the exclusion of the cattle syndicate
or the sheep owner, who, IN the presi-
dents words, when they have eaten
out and ruined the land Of the home
steader and small stockman move else
where to repeat the process of devas-
tation."
With the adjournment of congress
less than three weeks away, the
chances are largely. against any legis-
lation at this session, providing for the
| leasing OF the public domain for graz
ing purposes. The hearings on the
subject. however, have, resulted in an
educational benefit by showing. con-
gress the aims and motives back of
the efforts of the different interests in
volved in the proposed legislation. The
west will appreciate and applaud the
presidents action ID clearly defining
the issues and In making, plain HIS OPP
position to any grazing or leasing
proposition that will deprive the home
steader and the small stockman OF any
of his rights.