The Delta independent., 1917-01-12

interests of the country as a whole,
but the cramps we get from taking
our medicine are mighty bad cramps
just the same.
Consider the present grazing condi-
ton of the grazing industry. The
range necessarily used is a checker
board of patented land and public
domain, state lands, or national forest
This again means on lands under pri-
vate control, land where there is no
practical contorl. The government do
main national forests and state lands
are not and will not be fenced. If to
this miserable mess under which the
People of the State of Colorado add
fenceless and defenceless herd law
then for that region the climax will
have been reached and there will be
nothing left but the Doxology One
feature will then stand out clear and
distinct in the clean up. 1t will be
the very high price paid for grazing on
the fenced patented land adjoining
and of similar type to that within the
unfenced land on the National Forests.
to some this may appear moral, to
others 1t may appear basis for rails
ing grazing fees "a reason for raising
grazing fees based on the price paid
for patented land, etc)
We have again and again tried to
get the government to take charge of
the grazing on the public domain and
manage 1t as 1t does the National For
ests, but no attention whatever has
been paid to thesee urgent requests:
but this public domain is being taken
up in little driblets, which will in the
near future leave it in such shape that
it could not be properly handled even
by the government
The national government created
the National Forests areas out of the
public domain. 1t can create similar
grazing areas. Why does 1t not do So
Either the powers that be are too in.
dolent or they definitely and distictly
think IT not worth while In either
event we are left to take care OF our
selves as best we can. ! am going to
ask you shortly why We do not try
another plan.
Now, then. our proposition is this.
our winter range is hampered by being
a mixture OF patented and un-patented
land. under conditions where each
detracts from the value of the other
and each interfering with the other.
but not to so serious an extent. be
cause of its peculiar surroundings.
Here on the summer range we are. II
II is accepted. allowed to Craze our
stock under permit with restrictions
many restrictions-a whole book OF
'em-and upon the payment of fee
in advance. AS starter and with the
sky for limit this fee is from now
on, to be based on the market price
for grazing on similar areas. OF re-
striction free patented land That is
not fair basis for such a fee. even
with the thoughtful reductions the
Secretary of Agriculture has seen fit
to make. 1t seems that our troubles
are patented land troubles whichever
way we turn. Patented land that IL
In driblets too small to be of practical
use in the stock grazing industry.
We seem to have cnn siderable trouble
do we not, because the government
has withheld both patent and manage.
ment from large areas OF land that we
must use and we are to have more
trouble. on areas where the govern
ment does manage things because It
takes the position that though no land
within these areas should ever have
gone to patent yet patented land
prices should form the basis for gov
ernmental charges. Why not meet the
issue and have all the land patented.
at least all grazing land. both within
and without the national forest? Why
the terror of 1t? Has not most of
these United States gone to patent2
Have the drawbacks been unsurmount.
able and are these areas unlivable?
VIII not the overwhelming majority
of the land In the United States event