The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-01-29
Proposed Herd Law.

Deadwood, S. d., Jan. 16.-The
meeting in the rooms of the Dead
wood Business club was called to
order by John Mansfield as tempo
rary chairman. He explained the
purpose of the meeting and called
for the election of a chairman and
secretary. The names of n. E.
Franklin for chairman of the meet
ing and D. R. Evans of Belle
Fourche, for secretary, were propos-
ed and they were unanimously elect
ed to the respective offices.
John Mansfield was the first to
speak on the herd law matter as
soon as the officers had taken their
places. He explained that the
greater number of the stockmen
were in favor of the herd law re-
naming as it was and the best way
to accomplish this would be to send
the proper sort of a petition to the
legislature and the desired results
would be obtained.
The next speaker was Secretary
D. r. Evans, of Belle Fourche. He
went into the history of the herd
law and explained that the law had
been passed while the state was yet
a territory and to have it repealed
would necessitate no end of trouble
to get things back to their normal
condition. The law in question
which they are attempting to save
from being repealed is the one pass
ed in 1881 and covers practically
the entire region in South Dakota
west of the Missouri river.
After several others had express
ed their opinions motion was in
troduced for three delegates to rep
resent the matter at the legislature
and the following were chosen:
Judge A. ]. Plowman, Henry Fraw-
ley and Tom Harvey. Resolutions
of the meeting were drawn up by
the following men: D. r. Evans,
Butte county; w. o. Heake, and Abe
Jones, Lawrence county; H. E. Per-
kins, Meade county; Jacob Hausle,
Pennington county; N. S. Tubbs,
Custer county, The resolutions
cat a meeting of the citizens of
the counties of Butte, Meade, Pen
nington, Fall River, Custer and
Lawrence, duly called by public no.
tice published in the newspapers OF
said counties and adjoining coun-
ties, having met at the assembly
room of the Deadwood Business
Club, this 10th day of January,
1909, having carefully examined and
inquired into the existing fence
laws, and other laws in relation to
domestic animals, beg leave to sub
nit to the legislature of the state OF
South Dakota, our views are en-
bodied in the following resolutions:
Whereas, the country lying be-
tween the Missouri river and the
western boundary of the state, ex-
cepting the irrigated districts, is
more valuable for stock raising than
agriculture, said country being roll
ing and broken and semi-arid and
being incapable of producing annual
crops without irrigation and much
+, of it being only suitable for the graz.
ing of domestic animals thereon;
and,
Whereas, since 1881 fence laws
have been in existence, and all the
old settlers who have taken up land
for agricultural purposes have in.
closed the same with lawful fences
and by so doing, have been able to
raise upon their farms sufficient for
age for winter feed for their stock
thus enabling them to become small
stock growers and owners, by hav-
ling the benefit of the free public
range; and,
Whereas, we believe it impossi-
BILE for the small stock grower to
prosper without the free use of the
public range; and,
Whereas, the experience of over
twnty-seven years has shown that
the existing laws are the best for the
settler and stockman, and to the mu-
Itual interest Of both; and,