Semi-weekly herald., 1907-10-03

not in huge areas to be held for spec
ulative purposes or used as ranches
where those who - the actual worl
are merely tenants or hired hands. N,
temporary prosperity of any class o
men could in the slightest degre,
atone for failure on our part to shap,
the laws so that they may work To-
the permanent good OF the home
maker. This is fundamental gentle
men, and is simply carrying out TIA,
idea upon which | dwell in speaking
&c you of our own farms here In Iowa
Now in many states where the rain
fall is light 1t is simple absurdit,
tc expect any man to live. still less
TO bring up a family. on 100 acres
| Where we are able to introduce lr
rigation. the homestead can be very
much less in sizc-can, for instance
be forty acres: and there is nothing
that congress has done during the
| past six years more important than
| the enactment OF the national lrriga
ton law. But where irrigation Is
not applicable and the land can only
| he used for grazing, 1t may he that
YOU can not run more than one steer
TO ten acres. and il is not necessary
TO be much of mathematician in
order to see that where such is the
case a homestead of one hundred and
sixty acres will not 20 far toward the
support of family In consequence
of this fact. homestcaders do not take
mp the lands In the tracts in question
They are left open for anybody to
craze upon that wishes to- The result
erately and not with a view to ex-
hausting their resources are at the
mercy of those who care nothing foi
The future and simply intend 20 skin
The land In the present For instance
the small sheep farmer who has n
home and who wishes that home to
pass on to his children improved in
value will naturally run mis- flock so
that the land will support, not only
today. but ten years hence; but a big
absentee sheep owners. who has no
home ON the land at all, but simply
owns huge migratory flocks OF sheep
may well find It TO his profit to drive
them over the small sheep farmers
range and eat It all out He can
then drive his hocks on. whereas the
small man can not. OF course. to
permit such a state of things is not
only evil for the small man. but Is
destructive of the best interests of the
country. Substantially the same con
1itions obtain as regards cattle. The
custom has therefore grown up OF
fencing great tracts of government
land without warrant of law. The
men who fenced this land were some
times rich men. who, by fencing It,
kept out actual settlers and thereby
worked evil to the country. But I'm
many cases, whether they were Large
men or small men. their object IVES
not to keep out actual settlers, but
Industry by preventing overgrazing OF
the range on the part Of reckless
stock owners who had no place In the
permanet development of the country
and who were Indifferent to every
thing except the profits of the mo
ment.
To permit the continuance of this H.
legal fencing inevitably tended to very
grave abuses, and the government has
therefore forced the fencers to take
down their fences, In doing this we
have not only obeyed and enforced the
law. but we have corrected many ila-
grant abuses. Nevertheless, we have
also caused hardship. which, though
unavoidable, | was exceedingly nnwill-
ing to cause. In some way or other
public range under conditions which
shall inure primarily to the benefit
OF the actual settlers on or near IT,
and which shall prevent Its being
wasted. This means that in some
shape or way the fencing of pasture
land must be permitted under restric
lions which will safeguard the rights
oi the actual settlers. desire to act
as these actual settlers wish to have
me in this matter | wish to find out
their needs and desires and then to
try to put them into effect. But they
must take trouble, must look ahead
to their own ultimate and real good,
must insist upon being really repre-
scented by their public men, If we
are to have good result A little
vile ago received a very manly and
sc nsible letter from one OF the proml-
net members of the Laramie county,
Wyo., Cattle and Horse Growers as
sociation. My correspondent remark
ed incidentally in is letter, Il am a
small ranchman, and have TO pillow
and pitch hay hyself," and then went
on to say that the great majority OF
81 "a