The Springfield herald., 1917-04-20
LEGISLATURE FAILED
IN SENSIBLE FENCE LAW

Herald said:
We believe that some kind OF
relief is needed in the matter OF
our present stock laws, and be.
lieve the legislature will make q
mistake if it fails in the require
ments or attempts to dodge the
issue"
Aud the legislature did both
failed in the requirements AM
lodged the issue, as no relief OF
any kind was afforded. Or the
! present law the Herald also said
1t vas made when it was
| presumed the great plains coun.
try would never be anything but
a great wild.
The law at present permits q
fence of three wires, with posts
five inches in diameter and two
rods apart, with a stay between
and the top wire four and one
half feet high.
THE objection to the fence is
the size of the posts and the
! height of the top wire. We
don't presume there is q
fence IN Baca county that com.
plies with the law in both OF
these respects and consequently
no one could collect any damages
should stock break in and de.
stroy their crop.
"A fence with posts two rods
apart and with the top wire four
and a half feet high, is Of kind
to invite stock to become
breechy.
Instead of big posts two rods
apart. the law should provide
small posts, such as are obtaina.
BILE, say two or three in. in diane.
J ter, every rod apart; and instead
of the top wire four and a hall
feet from the ground. it should
be four feet from the ground. 81
This 1sw sIso6ld 6a passed
early in the session under an e
mergency clause to afford the
| necessary protection to farmers
for their next year $ CROP"
Instead, however, of passing
su ch a law early in the session
with an emergency clause, the
legislative body at Denver
iddled for the first sixty days
and rushed through the appro,
priations and few good laws
and adjourned. A fence bill
was introduced that was practic-
ally a repetition of our present
law, but it failed of passage.
While We do not believe the
time is ripe for herd law, we
do believe the great majority
should rule, and do not believe
there is any danger Of the coun.
try going to the demnition bow.
vows under such rule. OF this
matter the Herald in that article
said:
after passing the fence law,
we believe that a local option
herd law bill should be passed,
providing for submission of tie
question 10 the voters of the
county at any regular or special
election on suitable petition oy
a certain per cent of the voters
of the county asking for such
submission of the question.
As further stated in that arti.
Gle we believe with a sensible
fence law, and one or two fair
crops of broomcorn and beans.
that practically all the dry farm
ers would fence their fields and
a small pasture for their cows
and work horses, and then the
matter of herd law would have
a different significance to them.
Representative Cramer intro.
duced !ocal-option herd-law bill
to be effective on receiving two.
thirds of the votes cast. but the
Legislature succeeded in keeping
the bill off the calendar, and SO
it wasn't even considered. 1t is
the intention now ry parties in
terested in the move to initiate a
majority local-option bill; but the
bill that is needed to be initiated
first is for fence that is not i'm.
possible of building. and that will
afford farmers protection against
-, In - kI1