THE UNITED AMERICAN
Page Thirteen
Protecting the Public Lands From Selfishness and Greed
By COL. HENRY S. GRAVES, Former Chief United States Forest Service
[While the people of America are wrestling with the problem the national forests which if successful would place them in
of reforestation and the national forests are diminishing jeopardy.
everywhere, it is interesting to note how Uncle Sam has taken
THE WESTERN GRAZING LANDS
steps to protect the public lands of the country against the
The problem brought before the country in the present
inconsiderate stock breeders who graze their herds over the
controversy involves the productive service of a vast area of
public domain. What has been done to protect the public
land in the West, the welfare of thousands of people engaged
lands will no doubt before long be done to protect the forests
in stock-raising and agriculture, the protection of watersheds
so that a new crop of timber may begin to grow on the hill
under the most critical conditions existing in the country and
sides and dales where the axemen have left nothing but de the prevention of serious injury to the forest reservations
struction and a sad indictment of the greed that is character
owned by the whole nation. We have to do with the semi-
istic of our age. The careful study of the grazing situation
arid portions of the country lying westward of about che
throughout the country that preceded every action subse hundredth meridian, the region in former days known as the
quently taken, was necessary to build up the intelligence re
great cattle ranges. The region is beyond the limit of the
quired to formulate policies, both for the protection of the
rich corn' and wheat belt and is for the most part unsuited to
public and for the protection of the stockmen. Col. Graves
crop-raising except under irrigation. The lands are naturally
is an authority on the subject and his discourse, appearing
suited to the grazing of livestock. The very conditions that
in print recently, furnishes a delightfully interesting informa unfit them for agriculture adapt them to grazing. Here the
tion about how Uncle Sam protects the public lands and
grasses are cured long before the frost and they retain the
incidentally thereby protects the grazing grounds where the
sugar, starch and albumen that make them highly nutritious
herds roam that furnish the meat supply of our nation.
throughout
the winter. In the early days the forage was so
— The Editor]
abundant that it was not necessary for the cattlemen, as now,
to provide feed for the winter; but the stock rustled on the
NEW public lands controversy is looming up that prom open prairies, finding ample feed where the snow was thin
or swept away by the winds.
ises to rival the fight over the establishment of the
Formerly all these lands were publicly owned, subject
forest reserves in the nineties, the Pinchot-Ballinger trouble
only to local grants in the Southwest and to recognized rights
in 1910, and the struggle over the Alaskan forests three years
of Indians. They were free for the use of all comers. The
ago. This time it is a problem of regulating the grazing of
settlement and development of agricultural lands is a com
livestock on the national forests. The particular question
paratively slow process, though the occupancy of the prairie
that precipitated the present controversy relates to the fees
charged by the government for the privilege of grazing cattle region west of the Mississippi under our liberal land laws
and sheep on the national forests. This does not impress one was accomplished in an astonishingly short period. But it
as a cause for a nation-wide conservation fight such as we required only a few years for the cattle drovers moving west
seem to have ahead of us. Under the surface, however, there ward from the prairie region, eastward from California and
is a real issue and one of vital national concern. The amount north from Texas to spread over the public lands, even work
of the grazing fee on the national forests is relatively a minor ing up into the mountains which afforded excellent forage
for summer grazing.
matter in the long run. The fundamental question at stake
is whether the national forests are to be retained under the
COMPETITION FOR THE RANGE
full control of the government with the right to adjust the
As long as the livestock business was conducted on a rela
uses of the lands for grazing or other purposes in accordance tively small scale there was no difficulty in regard to the use
with the interests of the public. The stockmen desire and
of the open lands, for there was plenty of public range for
are demanding a system of leases which in reality would
all. When, however, the industry was organized on a large
amount to prescriptive rights or easements, something that scale and there were individuals owning herds of twenty or
cannot be permitted without jeopardizing the primary objec thirty thousand head of cattle or flocks of one hundred thou
tives of the national forests. They seek similar rights on the sand sheep, new problems were introduced which not only
unreserved public domain. Everyone should bear this in
had a large influence on the development of the West but
mind when he reads about the controversy over the question
were a disturbing factor in the administration of the public
whether the grazing fees on these reserves shall be increased on domain. It Was then that the herds of different owners be
an average of seventy-five per cent to bring them measurably
gan to crowd each other, that portions of the range were over-
nearer the real commercial value of the range privileges.
grazed, and that disputes arose in regard to the use of the
land. Small owners found their cattle crowded off the range
A committee of the United States Senate has been mak
by large owners and the question of the control of the public
ing an investigation of the public lands and their administra ranges and frequently the existence of monopolies of large
tion. This inquiry presumed to cover the handling of the
areas of land by a few companies became matters of common
public domain, the national forests and parks, and other
classes of government lands. The investigation was, how complaint.
ever, the result of a vigorous protest of the western stockmen CONFLICT BETWEEN CATTLE AND SHEEP
It was about 1890 that the development of the sheep in
against the proposal by the Forest Service to increase the
fees for grazing on the national forests and the Senate Com dustry assumed substantial proportions. This was due in
part to the great losses to the cattlemen in 1887 and 1893. It
mittee has given chief consideration to grazing problems. The
was due also to the overcrowding of the ranges and the
proposed new schedule of charges for grazing privileges has
difficulties of controlling the movements of cattle. It was
been made the occasion for a general attack on the Forest
customary to handle sheep in bands of from 2000 to 3000 head.
Service by the stockmen, who are endeavoring at the same
They were herded together and hence under constant con
time to lay the ground-work for legislation, which if success
trol. They could be moved here and there wherever grass
ful would go far to undo much of what has been achieved in
could be found and they could utilize many ranges unsuitable
forest conservation during the last twenty-five years.
for cattle. This was particularly true in the mountains
where some areas were unsuited to cattle grazing on account
A controversy of this kind is inevitably confusing to the
of poisonous weeds. Moreover sheep could be taken back into
general public, which for the most part has little knowledge
the very high ranges which were not suitable for cattle.
of the public domain and national forests and still less knowl
new
The development of the sheep industry brought
edge of their relations to the problems of producing live
factor, a distinctly competitive one, into the range problem.
stock. Many people do know, however, that the public has
Unscrupulous sheepmen could within a few weeks sweep over
suffered unmeasured losses through the abuses of the land
a cattle range, practically wiping out the forage, and then
laws, through frauu, and lax administration of the natural
move on to new fields. The intrusion of sheep upen areas
resources owned by the nation. They are likely to prick up
used for cattle was fiercely resented by the cattlemen. Inas-
their ears when they hear that there is another drive upon
A
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