Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-09-08
FENCING UNCLE SANS PASTURE
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN

AsHINGToN, D. c.. Sept. 4-The passing OF the
NJ unfenced range. together with the free anu TO
mantle life Of the early West. has been the sub
iect of much sentimental language The discovery a'
beefsteak was same time passing out Oh reach
90 all but the wealthy gave the subject a much more
.,, and nersonal appeal. 1t makes the question of
how that range is going be fenced one OF immaculate
inheritance to every one OF us
As congressional Investigations and magazine articles
have abundantlv shown there is no longer
enough beef go around is that the western range -
No longer big enough to raise the number OF
cattle Much has been said about the Importance Oh
raising cattle SOUTH eating fish and peanuts IN
stead of meat raising poultry in the back yard anu
otherwise taking burden off the range But the Iac
remains lands of the west are the Osee
cattle producing part of the country ana must DC our
main reliance for supply of beef furthermore they
are entirely capable of producing much more peer th
thew now produce provided they fully and rightly
used They also capable of supporting more people
These facts have realized by western ranchmen
and western congressman for long Time and they have
steadily worked the problem, but vne general public
in the least, does not seem to have heard much
about it.
There are two principal schools of thought the
matter Each them knows what it wants and thinks
q ought to get it. each has congressman and
senator's on side The first of these parties is made
4 tba small ranchers who raise cattle and live
their own ranches. They want a e raZins homestead
law which law allowing any free citizen of the
limited States twenyone years old TO take up that many
of
there certain number of years and made certain i'm
movements The present homestead law allows man
only $50 acres of agricultural land $50 of
"arid' land Now the 16O-acre form homestead Is all
right but a not raise cattle $50 acres.
ON the other hand if he had $40 full section,
he could raise quite herd.
The other of the question is by the
large menthe corporations VINO great tracts
of land and own herds that number thousands
of thousands. They want law which VIII permit
them to lease the government great Of the
public lands upon which they gaze their herds
the exclusion of all others
Now the theoretical merits of these two propositions
are so obvious to need emphasis If the grazing
and take up little ranch The land will sup
port just people and many cattle pos
sibly provide it is possible to make living
square mile of range at all.
IF the leasing bill goes through, instead of a
an everv square mile there will be perhaps home on
every 6fry square while the who leased
the range having plenty of it, will be at such pains
~ produce all the cattle they possibly In other
words the grazing homestead if it practicable
at all will give everybody chance make homes for the
greatest number people and produce the greatest
number of cattle for the country at large
,,,,icb Of these bills law. depends prima
ILL, on the people going to eat the beefseak,
meaning YOU and the rest OF US here In the east
- n The west nearly everyone is interested party.
IT. H either poor and wants grazing homestead law so
- con Get one or rich and wants leasing law so
he can lot of range or else he is in some way
ianteed with the other of these interests. In
80, case YOU can blame him. He is merely trying
80 Grind his just all of us Therefore,
- Is IN to you look into this question decide which
atbod will get you the most beefsteak, and direct
congressman vote accordingly.
Having therefore set forth merits of the graz
ing homestead it is fair and just to give the cattle
baron his innings He cannot very well deny that if
the grazing homestead becomes fact and it
will provide for people, and that those
pie will produce all the cattle they possibly can