Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-09-21


ing you and me. In the west. nearly
everyone Is an interested party. He is
either poor and wants grazing home.
rich and wants leasing law so he can
some way identified with one or the
other Of these interests. In any case.
you can not blame him. He Is merely
trying to grind his own ak, just as all
Of us are. Therefore. 1t Ia up to you
to look into this question, decide which
method will get you the most beef
steak and direct your congressman to
vote accordingly
Having. therefore, set forth the
merits Of the grazing homestead, 1t 10
now fair and just to give the cattle
baron his innings. He can not very
well deny that If the grazing home
stead becomes fact apd success. 1t
will provide homes for more people,
and that those people will have to pro-
duce all the cattle they possibly can
in order to live. But he says 1t will
not work. He says that no man can
raise enough cattle on square mile Of
western range to support himself and
a family. The effect of the measure,
he asserts, will be to place homesteads
on all the water holes, so that the rest
of the range will be useless.
Now the grazing homestead advo-
Gates have one crushing reply to that
argument about impracticability. Some
years ago Congressman Kinkaid Of
Nebraska induced congress to pass a
law providing that GAO acre home
stead could be taken up on certain
lands in that state. According to re-
ports made nv the interior department
tho law worked to perfection.
The exact and impressive statistics
which show how Nebraska prospered
under this law may be consulted In
government reports. Suhhce 1t to say
that land of soddv houses and dug.
outs became one Of brick and stone
houses and schools and churches. with
a population that gained fifty per cent
in ten years. The farmers are raising
enough fodder on their lands to keen
their cattle in the winter and enough
cattle to keep their families all the
year around.
OF course, many of the grazing lands
Of the west are not as rich as those Of
Nebraska. Agents of the land ONCE
in other western states, however, re-
port that laws allowing patents on $40
acre tracts are needed, and they esti-
mate that it will be possible for the
homesteaders to make a living on even
the poorest Of the range lands.
So the grazing homestead man
seems to have the best Of the argu-
ment so far He also has the lead in
congress. A law providing for graz
ing homestead on all public lands suit
able for the purpose was introduced
into the house several years ago and
was nassed last January. It met with
absolutely no opposition on the floor
Bills which will helm the common
people never meet with any opposition
on the floor. Once before the house
they are sure of passing as demo
cratic nominee in Texas IS OF election
But they do not always have an
easy time getting to the floor. The
encing that difficulty in the senate.
Having been passed BY the house. 1t
has been reported by the senate com.
mittee and is now on the senate calen'
dar and has been for several months.
Some of the senators do not want 1t
passed. They sympathize with the
men who want leasing bill. so the
little grazing homestead bill continues
to fill small and unimportant place
on the senate calendar, but it Is among
the reasonable certainties that It will
pass in course of time. unless leas.
ing bill is passed first The question
is of sufficient Importance to warrant
thorough consideration from every
American voter.