Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-05-10
PUBLIC LAND WITHDRAWALS
New Executive Orders in Aid of
Small Stock Owners

Smau SIOCk OWncTS
Wthdrawa.of public land for use rather
than from use is the latest piece OF prac-
teal conservation. The President, by
Executive Order, under the withdrawal
law has withdrawn from entry many
tracts of Incorporated puclio lands
which contain springs or small streams.
These watering places control the public
| range over large areas in Utah and
Wyoming and the withdrawal of theses
lands will in no wise interfere with the
use of the springs or streams but will in
fact insure the possibility of public use.
Control of watering places by strong
private interests and the resultant mono
pozation of grazing on the public domain
are believed to be prejudical to public in
terest, and the President regards the
setting aside of these watering places for
public use as serving distinct and BEN
efcial public purpose. in harmony not only
| with the letter but with the spirit of the
act of 1910.
The three Withdrawals already approx
ed by the President represent an aggre-
gate area of about 10000 acres in six
counties in Utah and Wyoming. and in
clude tracts of public land known from
the records of the United States Geolog-
ical Servey and General Land Office to
contain 248 springs and streams.
1t is well known that in the Rocky
Mountain and Pacific Coast States there
are many large areas of excellent graz
| ing land in which the number of places
where water for man or beast can be OBJ
tanned is relatively small. Sometimes the
shortest distance between water holes"
is 10, 20. or even SO miles. Some OF
these watering places are springs, some
of them ponds of alkaline water. some OF
them small streams flowing down from
adjacent hills or mountains and become
| lost on the edge of the desert. The lands
| in large part support growth OF grass
and small bushes, which is excellent fod-
der for horses, cattle. or sheep. and as
practically all these are as achievement
land they are free range" for whoever
may care tograze his stock thereon.How-
ever, stock can not live without water,
and unless watering places are available
him to utilize the range.
As result of these conditions it has
come to be common practicein some parts
of the West for big cattle or sheep out
fit to obtain possession of the few scatter
ed water holes in certain area and BY
this means to monopolize the grazing
privilege almost as effectivly as if it act
ually owned every acre of the area. In
consequence the small stock owner has
been placed at serious disadvantage
and in many localities has been forced
out of business.
This practical development of the con-
servation policy in order to prevent mon
opoization Of the public grazing land will
not only insure equal opportunity, under
present conditions. but it prepares the
way for future legislation. Should Con-
gress at any future time decide to pass a
grazing law the retention of these water
ing places in public ownership will make
the.enaotment of satisfactory law possible
whereas if the water should pass into
private hands the framing law providing
for the control of grazing on the public
domain would be useless, because thelaw
itself would be imperative.
The present action really is beneficial
to both large and small stock growers.
although it will doubtless not be pleasing
to those who desire to exclude rivals from
the range by acquiring the watering
places themselves. The competition and
struggle for existence have In many plac-
es, however, grown so keen that even tc
the largest outfits the strife has become
burdensome, and to some of them at least
the removal of one of the causes of con-
tention by the reservation of the springs
and streams for the common use of all
will be decided relief. To the small
stookman who has been fighting for ex-
istence and who has seen his grazing area
diminish year by year as he has been
barred from this spring or from that
stream, it will be welcome news that the
Government has taken steps that will at
least make the competition fairer.
w. C. T. u, NOTES.