Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-08-08
"Ihe Darkest Stain on American
Civilization"

brains. The poor creature may have
to hany in this distressing condition
for day or two or even a week
This is what trapping means-this
is what a wonan's furs cost.
And after trapping we come 10
what is the darkest stain on our AM
erican civilization. We come to the
story of the cattle on the great
ranches. / could tell you much from
my own observation-much that
have seen when merely passing
through these regions on my way to
the Pacific coast from time to tine.
| have seen more than enough to
prove to me that all that has been
| SAID, and all that can De said on the
subject canot exaggerate the horror
| of the actual facts. But it might be
claimed that | am misinformed or that
| am mere sentimentalist. Let lie
therefore quote from a letter from
| distinguished citizen of Montana who
/ says that mo human tongue can
portray the miseries and sufferings
| that have come from what is known
| as pastoral stock raising in the
United States" and that Human
| greed is the cause of all this suffering
| OF plains cattle, and so long as the
people of the land quietly submit to
| 1t without protest the business will be
continued while there is money to be
made from it.
DR.. William o. Stillman, president
of the American Humane society at
Albany, N. Y, who is accomplishing
splendid results in investigating and
| exposing the facts as to the condition
of the cattle on the plains, under the
| title of "A Record Unparalleled for
Creed and 'Heartlessness in the
Worlds History" writes as follows.
The Spanish and Mexican bull
| fights, which Americans self righteous
y condemn, are trifies in suffering
compared with the slow agony of
millions of live stock which all winter
long fight unaided for life on the
western cattle ranges. Countless nun
bers are weeks in dying. Scenes
which would disgrace cash Roman
amphitheater It is not famine but sor.
did greed and heartlessness which is
. the cause.
AS I-write these words there liter.
ally are millions of cattle on the great
ranges of the west, from Texas to
Montana, which are on the extreme
verge of starvation. They will con
tinue to starve slowly until spring.
Hundreds of thousands will die, and
the rest of those already starving will
almost die, but not quite. This hap.
pens every year. Stockmen count
regularly on a certain percentage OF
loss from starvation, thirst and cold.
There is disposition on the part
or many people in the west and a few
people in the east to affect to believe
That statements like the above are
largely exaggerated and are caused
by an excess of sentiment rather than
by real conditions of suffering. The
anti-cruelty crusade is past the stage
of maudlin sentiment. Misrepresenta-
ton is not necessary in cases like
this. The actual condition is to unut.
terably and unbelievably bad.
Let me quote the statement of an
other western man concerning these
conditions. The following was written
by ex-United States Senator Gibson
of Great Falls, Mont: Add together
all the sufferings of the animals in
the eastern and central states, the
torture inflicted upon horses, dogs
and all the domestic beasts of field
and city streets, and you have not
sufficient cruelty in Your enumeration
to equal one-half the sufferings of the
freezing and starving cattle on our
western plains when the terrible
storms come upon them and prevent
them from securing food and shelter.
No human mind can comprehend the
degree of suffering caused during one
winter storm, that leaves tens of
thousands of skeletons of cattle upon
these plains; and this picture only
family tells the story that God also
realizes in its awful truth and an
gush. i"
According to the recent report
of the United States bureau
of animal industry, there were in
1904 over 100000 cattle in the
United States. am giving the figures
in round numbers. OF these cattle
over $4,000 600 are range stock. To
be rangs stock means that cattle
must take care of themselves as best
they can from December to April
when the ground is covered with
snow and there is no shelter and not
drop of water to drink. In nearly all
cases not a pound of hay is provide !.
nor wind break or shed, not even
we'll.
The range cattle business in the
United States covers about is 900 900
square miles. This is almost thirty
times The size of all New England. A
greet part of the area of eighteen
states and territories is occupied by
ii. The value of the range stock rep
resents over s500.000.00 not TO men.
ton nearly s1Oo.0Oo.O0O in sheep.