Along the line of the railroad, the
company has sold or leased lands; in the
neighborhood of Cheyenne has leased a
great many sections. These sections
are, of course, fenced. Now, where
can the harm be of fencing the alter
nate government sections? So far from
harm it is a benefit. It enables the
people having these moderate sized
ranges to utilize all the land; it makes
them richer, and they employ so many
the more men. Now, as to ranging
cattle, are there any cattle ranged aDng
Crow, Pole, Horse or any of these
small creeks hereabouts outside the
fences? No, and the fact is there have
not been for years. If a man owns
some land, that be has taken
up or puchased. along these ;
streams fences up only what he
owns, and his neighbors do the 1
same, what becomes of the high land i
which has no water? It lays idle— i
range cattle cannot graze on it, for <
they can’t get water, and it Is of no I
earthly use except as landscape to the I
man inside the fence. So, a man hav- •'
ing the water rights, should, I believe,
have some way of getting the benefit of
the land back of him. If he resorts to
stratagem he can capture the use of a
great deal of land. Suppose he pur
chases desert claims and leases from
the railroar} a strip of land running out
miles from his land, another strip miles
away from the first and parallel to it,
and then in the same way joins them
at the fourth side, can anything be
done to prevent him from using the
numerous sections of government land
inside the fence be puts on the land be
controls? Now, sir, as to hindering
bona fide settlers, I believe that there
is no man in this country that has gov
ernment land fenced who will prevent
a settler from going inside the fence to
take it up. There will be changes in
the conduct of the cattle business.
