The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-04-01
Idaho Country Life
sTOCKMEN TO IGNORE DECISION
Cattle and Sheepmen of Sister States
Said to Favor Siding With the
Forestry Bureau

That the sheep and cattlemen OF
| Wyoming and Montana will join with
the forest service in ignoring the rec
| ent decision of the United State SUI
preme court in the California grazing
case, in which the court decided that
congress did not have power to dele
gate authority to the secretary of ag-
| riculture to make rules having the
force of law, has been decided upon
as the policy of the various Montana
and Wyoming cattle and woolgrow-
! ers' associations, according to Harry
A. Chapman of Rawlins, one of the
| most prominent cattlemen in Wyom-
ing, and w. A. Jones of Wisdom,
Mont, who are stopping at the Idan-
| ha.
THE supreme courts decision to
the effect that violation of the forest
services regulation requiring an own
err to first secure a permit before graz
ing his sheep on national forest re-
serve is not a violation of law, and
that criminal prosecutions will not
lie in such cases has thrown the cat
tie and sheep industries into chaos, :"
said Mr.. Chapman.
THAT decision virtually throws the
! forest reserves wide open, and the old
protection against trespassers is abro-
gated" he continued, land in self
defense the sheepmen and cattlemen
in my state will ignore the decision
and will stand pat on the old order
of things.
I'VE are acting in this matter un-
| der regulation No. As, which reads as
follows: Whenever any livestock as
sociations whose membership includes
a majority of the owners of any class
of livestock using national forest or
portion thereof shall select commit
tee, an agreement on the part Of
| which shall be binding upon the as
ISOLATION, such committee, upon ap-
| plication to the district forester, may
| be recognized as an advisory board
for the association, and shall then be
entitled to receive notice of proposed
action and have an opportunity to be
heard by the local forest officer in
reference to increase or decrease in
the number of stock to be allowed for
any year, the division of the range
| between different classes of stock or
their owners, or the adoption of spe-
cial rules to meet local conditions
when the control of the reserves
| by the forest service first was inaug-
urated the livestock interests had
numerous difficulties with the forest
service, and, of course, Pinchot, as its
head, received all of the blame, be-
cause he was held responsible by
those who suffered from the ignor-
ance or incompetency or injustice of
individual rangers who did not under
stand local conditions.
To Assist Livestock Men
But as Pinchot progressed, he be-
came acquainted with western con-
ditions and he did his best to adjust
the forest service regulations so as to
accomplish the protection and conser-
walton of the forests and at the same
time satisfy the urgent needs of the
livestock interests.
The cattlemen and sheepmen of
Wyoming now regard PinchOt as the
best friend in the government that
they ever had. We fear that the gov
eminent will never be able to get an
other man who will fill his place
After long trouble the livestock men
had finally come to amicable arrange
ments with the forest service, and
everything was working lovely when
the supreme courts decision tore all
of the existing system Of regulation to
pieces.
THAT decision caused a sensation
in Wyoming. The sheepmen and cat
tlemen of Idaho are also all worked
up over it. l have just returned from
trip to Ontario, Ore, and the live
stock men in that part of the coun>
try are clear up in the air over that
decision. If the cattlemen and sheep
men don't hang together in ignoring
the decision, and if any of them break
over the bounds and deliberately run
their stock over reserve where they
know other men have grazing allot-
ments, there may be bloodshed in my
country this summer.
The cattlemen who have been on
the range and have gotten renewals
on their reserve allotments for this
year simply will not stand for tres
passers, and if any men without per-
mits try to jump our allotments, we
will fight to the death. The way
things stand right now, ! am almost
certain that the various cattle and
woolgrowers' associations, through |
their advisory boards, will meet to-
gether with the district supervisors of
the forest reserve, and that we will
agree to ignore the supreme courts
dcision.
The word has been passed around
Wyoming to stand pat, and we will
not allow trespassing on the reserves.
The forest service has sent out word
that the supreme courts decision will
be ignored by the rangers and Of
ficials. We propose to join the forest
service.
All Knew Standing
Before the decision was handed
down in the California grazing case,
the cattlemen and sheepmen, big and
little, knew just where they were at.
Each man had his regular allotment
and the forest service permit allowed
him to run just so many head of cat
tie or sheep on that allotment of the
reserve. We have been getting along
fine with the forest service under
old conditions. Potter, head Of the
grazing department, travelled through
the west at frequent intervals. and