, 1908-02-22
THE END NOT FAR DISTANT.

80 a
A Natrona county sheep man, Mr..
Donald Niche, in a letter to the Cas-.
per Tribune, points out just where the
stockmen Of Wyoming are rapidly
drifting. He takes the same ground SO
ably defended by Mr.. Robert Taylor
and urges that the divergent interests
should get together and settle the
range problem amicably and satisfac.
torily to all conflicting interests before
the men of the east give the stockmen
something that they will not relish
Liberal quotations from Mr.. Michie's
letter follow:
1T Is quite evident the present
range system will not be continued
long, and Mr.. Taylor's advice is honest
and sensible when he asks us to line
up and prevent such a bill as Burkett's
from being forced on us. Mr.. Taylor
suggests in his letter that We ought
to pay for every acre we use for our
stock. | endorse these views. as I
believe 1t is the only system that is ap.
plicable to the stock interests in the
west. | want to point out the rang
conditions in Natrona county as l find
them today. l want to say, without sx
aggeration, that the range is over
crowded with sheep. Since the first
of this year there Is not a single fresh
camp to move on to, and | challenge
contradiction of hat statement. In
point of fact, for three months of The
year stock are simply existing. or half
starving. These are the conditions
existing M present in Natrona county,
and | might be correct in saying thai
they prevail over all the range of the
western country. AS an illustration OF
this-I am informed from a source thar
knows it to be true-twenty-seven
herds of sheep came into the Musl;
rat country last month from the wess
| presume Utah. With the overstock
ing of the range before they appeared
does 1t not impair the existence of
the sheep business until spring opens
in that country? These conditions VIZ
are up against all the time. Unde~
the present range system we cannot
prevent these migratory herds coming
into our country. as they are within
their legal rights, therefore the only
system to counterfeit the existence OF
these vermip is a lease law and the
courts will take care of us.
Il want to roint out this fact, which
we all know to be accurate. In the
counties of Fremont, Natrona and
Converse, that l am familiar with,
there Is not a creek or spring existing
today in these three countries that are
not filed upon by stockmen, conse
quently the business is now localized
and all we need now is the partition Of
the range among us to make our in
dustry permanent and safe. / am led
TO believe the conditions prevailing in
these three counties are in evidence in
all the range country. Will a lease law
on these lines help to develop the coun
try OF the reverse? 1t is claimed in
these conventions 1t will retard the
country's development. l cannot sea
it that way, In my judgment it will
lave the contrary effect. If it is cor.
coded that the range is stocked to its
utmost capacity, we cannot develop the
sheep business further under present
conditions. At this point is where dry
farming takes a hand in. Dry farming
is a very healthy baby. Does it not
follow that uni"r a lease Law stock.
men will cultivate within their lease
holdings hay n grain, not only :,
winter their stock, but to fit them for
he butcher, and 50 prevent shipping
our stock to a feeding point in some
other state. This is all within the
bounds of probabilities. 1 have always
maintained that a lease law would in
crease the capacity of the range. aud
| am yet to be converted from it. The
principal objection to a lease law. we
hear in these conventions. is the impor
tation of landlordism. l may say that
the state board OF control has been
my landlord for 10000 acres of the
states LAM for twelve years. fount
in all these years my landlord to be
natures own gentlemen. l pay my
rent and that ends their laniIordism
Is there any reason to suppose We will
find the federal landlord different?
Mr.. Taylor cites the systems prevail.
ing in several countries under those
conditions and / assure you. sir. the
system worked perfectly, SO that land
lordism as an objection ought to De
turned down forever in oblivion. \