The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-04-10
WHERE WILD HORSES ROAM.
These Animals Oyer-running Forest
Reserves in Northwest.

! w llu noises DN JUt lDOuSdHu al =
overrunning the government Nation
al Forests of Nevada and neighbor-
| ing states, and the authorities in
! Washington are besieged with petit
tons from stockmen and farmers beg
ging them to put a stop to the null
sance A recent dispatch from Reno
conveyed the intelligence that there
are fifteen Thousand of the untamed
beasts upon the Toryabe, Toquina
and Monitor forest reserves in Lam
dor county alone, and that orders
have been received by the forest
rangers to begin systematic war
| of determination upon them. This
dispatch, although twisted as to facts
does not exaggerate the number of
horses now supposed to be roam
ing at large in the districts men
! toned, AS a matter of proba Bile
truth there are a good many more
than fifteen thousand wild horses in
Nevada and the neighboring states
and every herd is pest to the own
ers of vegetation and domestic
stock.
The part of the Reno telegram
which is not true is that relating to
the orders sent from Washington
Neither the forest rangers nor any
other employees of the government
have been told to destroy the horses,
and unless they do receive such or
ders they will confine their ener-
gies to fencing crops from the tres
passing animals or rounding them
up when they appear and threaten
damage to the range. Indeed, if half
the stories brought to the capital
t,~,,n oil no nj
/ Sans service would have little
chance of destroying the big herds
that are roaming over the western
states.
! Within the last few years they
have increased to such an extent
that in many localities they are
classed as "varmints," with wolves,
wildcats and grizzlies, and every
mans rifle is turned against them
No fence is strong enough to stop
these horses, and when they appear
in force they have even been known
to knock down and kill cows and
calves. After each visitation from a
herd the ranchman is likely 10
mourn the loss of his domestic
horses, and it requires only few
days association with their new COM
panions for the best broken animals
to become as wild as their nomadic
comrades,
A study of the wild horse problem
brings to light many interesting
facts about the animals. The legisla-
ture of Nevada, it seems, passed a
law many years ago specifically al
lowing hunters to shoot wild horses
and to sell their hides for what they
could get in the open market. The
law opened the way to a new and
unusual industry, and many men
found the killing of wild horses
very profitable. Besides the work
was exciting and gave the business
the added zest of sport.
AS time went on and the business
of killing these outlaws" (as the
wild horses We're often termed) on
the ranges assumed greater and
greater proportions, stockmen found
that the professional hunters were,
in many cases, abusing their rights
and We're killing branded and shod
horses. This put an end to the bust
ness, for on complaint of the stock
men the Nevada legislature promptly
repealed the law. 1t is estimated that
10, 900 animals were killed during
the time that the law was in force.
The report, however, has good
basis of fact, for the wild horse
question has grown to be as serious
in the last few years as it was when
the Nevada Legislature was forced
to enact the old law. The United
States forest service has not given
orders for killing of a single horse
because it has no right to do so. The
forest officers of the Nevada national
forests realize how bad conditions
are, and will do anything to assist
the stockmen to put down the nuis-
ance.
Any one who finally discovers an
effective method to settle this
problem will have done a great ser
vice to the stockmen of every state
west of the Missouri river. AS an
old and experienced stockmen said :
Theoretically it seems a very simple
matter to handle. but practically it
is quite the reverse" On the ranges
of many of the national forests the
supervisors have been at their wits
end for several years trying to devise
a method to meet the difficulty. APP
parently an entirely satisfactory me-
thod can not be found because of the
tSllds laws IIOW
in the different states. Under the
circumstances, the following plan
has been recommended to meet the
conditions in the national forests
IF the presence of the horses is
seriously damaging the national for
est range and public sentiment ia
vors such action, the supervisor may,
upon petition of a majority of the
permittees of grazing district, al
low the horses to be gathered and
disposed of according to the state or
territorial laws. In such cases the
forest service will, upon recommen-
dation from the supervisor, cooper
ate in the construction of corrals Of
fences for the purpose of capturing
the horses.
Forest officers may drive upper
mitted horses from the national for
ests at any time, but If the owner of
the horses and ownership acknowl-
edged the owner should be allowed
to adjust the matter by paying the
grazing fee. If he refuses to apply for
a permit, then trespass charge
should be brought against him and
the case conducted according to in
istructions.