The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1907-01-17
No More Fences.

warrington Jan 1-By direction
q the President. ~~eretay Hitchcock
t0dsy ss1ec ar order - COmmis.ion~r
Richard q the general land Office a,
ous7s 70 notify all special agents and
r%~c~iEsn and registers Of local land
ofh7= that the act Of February 3.
l--5, for the summary destruction Of
Illegal enclosures and o~b=tructUus e.
isiing on public lands will Be ngidIy
enforced @fNr April /, 1870.
InIs order means that al fences en-
closing public lands in violation Of ls1
TnUst b removed before April J. II
they are not taken down By that time
they Tin b torn down by Representa-
tiyes ~ tis government.
Secretary Hitchcock. order has the
approval % President Roosevelt
Strong pressure alzs been brought 10
y emit the fences 10 remain on public
Lsnd-, even in the face OF complaints
After the president and Secreta1
Hitchcock had conferred regarding the
order, the former sent a letter to Mr.
Hitchcock. 10 which be- said
In Response to your letter. and in
carrying cot what. after our c~onver.a-
tiDn~ together. seems to b. the beat
cour-e. ! approve the circular you in
tend io issue, with the modification Of
having it apply to ali cases and Of TAX
iHg effect pn-empIOnally April /, next
tTus; that the nator and represent
Atives from the great grazing states
Viii realize what this means. a. I be-
li"v- there should BE-, a Modification
81 the law by which il would be pos.i-
BILE TO allow by lease the
enclosure u portions Of the public do
main for grazing purposes on such con-
ditiDHs a. the government finds COM
patiDIe with the best interests OF the
actual settlers, the small homesteaders
and the hUme-maker-then that thi.
change Of the law must be made at this
session Year in and year out you and
have been b~esDught by men interested
~ -tock growing TO permit the fences
TO stay up for another six months or
another year. on the ground of the
great damage certain to be done by
taking them down.
Many OF the men making these re.
quests are entirely honest men. whose
requests IL would be in the intere., Of
the community to grant were it legally
possible 20 do so though this. of course.
does not apply 10 some Of tno.e making
TIE reqnestsj but il Is quite impos.i-
1ie permanently to permit such an ar
rangenent There must b. some ade-
quat. provision Of law II there Is To b.
any satisfactory solution Of this urob.
lem, and IN default Of thi. prnvisioD
the present faulty law mast b. en-
You are perfectly at liberty
80 show this to any and all senators.
Whose constituents are chiefly concern
in this matter"
In Secretary Hisehcoek's order the ,
TO all special agents Of the
land pihee regarding the enforcement
Of the law 10 prohibit the enclosing of
government lands for private purpose,
are amended 20 a. to read a. follows:
"lt shall be the duty Of the special
agent on receipt Of any charge or
complaint or upon information being
acquired by MIN from any source thai
unlawful enclosure is being main
tained by any person or persons. asso-
nation Or corporation, at once TO pro-
coed To- secure sufficient data, inelud-
a description Of the land. enclosed
With reasonable certainty, not nee
sssariy by metes and bounds nor nv
governmental subdivision of SURVEYED
lands but only that the enclosure
may be identified and the -pen.ons
guilty Of the violation, as nearly A.
may b., and by description if the
iahnt cannot, on reasonable inquiry ,
be- a-certained, and At once 10 submit
'ueh cases with the data thu, oh.
aimed. 70 the United States attorney
or prosecution.
IL shall be the duty Of the special
and he shall be- 30 instructed =.
~ alert and yigilant 10 detect the ex-
of unlawful enclosures in hi,
istrict and 10 proceed in accordance
herewith a. herein above directed
nd that he is MT 10 construe nj.