The Glenwood post., 1916-09-30
RANCHMAN RAPS
THE HERD Law
Small Cattle Owner as Well
as Stock Magnate Suffers
From Proposed Measure
VIEWS OF AS. T|BBETTS

The following is communication ad-
dressed to a Denver newspaper which
has been backing the proposed herd
law but which paper refused to pub.
lish. The communication is from A. s.
Tibbetts, farmer residing between
Glenwood Springs and New Castle, and
was later published in the Rocky Noun.
tain News in an endeavor to place the
facts before the public. 1t reads az
follows:
"Dear Sir:-Pursuant to the talk We
had yesterday I will try to put my ar.
gument against the herd law in writ
ing. I am a farmer on the western
slope in Garfield county, Colorado, and
have been for twenty years. I have u
small bunch of cattle that run on the
Mitchell creek in the forest reserve.
On this creek is a little ranch owned
by Elmer Lucas of the Colorado hotel,
about eight acres in cultivation. On
either side of this place the hills are
very abrupt, covered with oak brush
and a good deal of grass, and afford
quite lot of early and late feed for
stock. .... ......
"Now we turn out here at Mr..
Lucas place in April. keep our cattle
around his place till the first Of July,
when we can put them on the forest
reserve. They remain on the forest Re.
serve until the last of October, when
they come down, driven by the early
SHOWS and cold weather to the lower
country.
Now only have small bunch of
cattle. You are giving Mr. Lucas tho
privilege of taking this fence down.
How many men will it take to keep
my cattle off Mr.. Lucas place!
"This herd law ism 4 hitting the big
man, as it is the little man like me.
One man on this same range at tn.
present time with 1000 head of cattle
has three men with them all the time.
Can do the same with twenty-five!
"Now, you say the poor homesteader
and by the way, that is me-has his
land fenced. We will admit it is a
lawful fence. Along comes bunch Of
half-starved cattle that won't stop for
anything. They eat up my crop, the
owner of the cattle drives them away
and can 60 to h for my damages.
"In the name of common sense,
where is the difference in your law7
Why won It the stockman do the same
thing when your herd law passes!
"If the farmer maintains a lawful
fence, which is three wires, with posts
twenty-four feet apart, the stockman
is liable for all damage done by his
stock, and how is your herd law going
to help him collect any more than the
law does at the present timer
"If the farmer is forced to maintain
lawful fence and the stockman held
liable for damage done by his stock,
isn't the farmer surer to raise a crop
and not have a lawsuit than he would
be if he didn't have a fence? In one
case the stock ate up a mans crop
thirty-five acres of corn and alfalfa.
He asks $3.50 damages, less than S. an
acre. His attorneys say, Take $25
rather than have lawsuit Would
he get tougher deal in Colorado? If
your herd law becomes a law in No
vember it means that Colorado will be
a sheep state instead Of cattle-that IL
the western slope and mountainous sec
tions. You can herd cattle in prairie
country, but did you ever try it in the
mountains?
~ read one time shout the man who
caused two blades of grass to grow
where one grew before, etc. Why not
remember this and say, HE who causes
two cows to grow where only one grew
before helps to make It possible for
the man who is working for ts dsJ
to have beefsteak once In while for
breakfast
"Now I am going to say that the
livestock industry is one Of Colorado's
greatest industries and in the name Of
common sense does any person want to
reduce the resources Of Coloradoi Will
we get pay for damages done our crops
any easier II we don't have fence