The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-04-17
Wild HORSES
ABSOLUTE PEST
Being Killed by Hundreds to
Protect Domestic Stock.
In Many Places They are Class
ed With Wolves and
Wild Cats.

Forests of Nevada and nelgnDorlns
states, and the authorities in Wash
ington are besieged with petitions from
stockmen and farmers begging them
to put a stop to the nuisance. A re-
cent dispatch from Reno conveyed the
intelligence that there are fifteen thou
sand of the untamed beasts upon the
Tolyabe, Toquina and Monitor forest
reserves in Lander county alone. and
that orders have been received by
the forest rangers 20 begin system
attic 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 matter OF probable
truth there are a good many more
than fifteen thousand wild horses in
Nevada and the neighboring states,
and every herd is a pest to the own
ers OF vegetation and domestic stock.
The part of the Reno telegram which
is not true is that relating 70 the
orders sent from Washington. Nei-
Their 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 da-
mage to the range. Instead, If half
the stories brought to the capital are
true. all the rangers in Uncle Sans
service would have little chance of
destroying the big herds that are roam
ing 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,
snC when they appear in force they
have even been known to knock down
visitation from a herd the ranchman
is likely TO mourn the loss of his
domestic horses, and it requires only
a few days association with their new
companions for the best broken ami
mails 10 become as wild as their noma-
&c comrades.
\ study OF the wild horse problem
brings 70 light many interesting facts
about the animals. The Legislature
Il Nevada, it seems, passed law
many years ago specifically allowing
hunters 10 shoot wild horses and to
sell their hides for what they could
get in the open market. The law OPP
sued the way to a new and unusual
Industry, and many men found the
hiil.Ag Of Mid horses very profitable.
Besides, tie work was exciting and
gave the business the added zest of
sport.
As time went on and the business
Of killing these outlaws" las the wild
horses were often termed) on the ran
yes assumed greater and greater pro-
portions, stOckmen found that the pro.
fessional hunters were, in many cases,
abusing their rights and were killing
branded and shod horses. This put
an end 10 the business, for on COM
plant Of the stockmen the Nevada
Legislature prompted the law. 1t is
estimated that 5000 animals were
killed during the time that the law
was in force. This figure gave the
basis for last weeks story.
The report, however, had good basis
Of fact, for the wild horses 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 the
killing of a single horse because 1t
has no right to do so. The forest
Officers of the Nevada national for
ests realize how bad conditions are,
and will do anything to assist the
stockmen to put down the nuisance.
ANY one who finally discovers an eff
Rective method to settle this problem
will have done a great service for the
.stockmen of every state of the Mis-
souri, River. AS an old and expert
enced stockman now in the employ
of Uncle Sam, said of this wild
horse Problem: theoretically il
seems a very simple matter to han
die, but practically it is quite the
reverse On the ranges of many of
the national forests the Supervisors
have been a their wits ends for sew
eral years trying to devise a meth
cd to meet the difficulty. Apparent
ly an entirely satisfactory meth
cd can not be found because of the
inadequate estray laws now enforced
in the different states. Under the
circumstances, the following plan has
been recommended to meet the con-
ditions in the national forests:
IF tbe presence of the horses is