THE VALENTINE DEMOCRAT
I. M. RICE Editor and Proprietor.
MARK ZARR Foreman.
Entered at the postoffice at Valentine , Cherry county. Nebr. . as Second
Class Matter.
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THUPvSDAY , DECEMBER 6 , 1906.
" times" to the
"Good means re
publicans to be in power and po
sition to get something from a
boodle administration that in turn
gets its boodle by higher taxes and
robbing the masses of people to
pay the bills. During Cleveland's
last administration there were so
many boodlers kicked out who had
so long subsisted and depended
upon an office or a boodle contract
that the country was flooded with
idlers and tramps who howled , of
course for another boodle adminis
tration.
W. T. Bishop has built a large
addition to his barn.
Save your money for the big
show , coming Jan. 1st.
Jake Breachbill brought a load
of wheat to town Monday.
Len Bivens and family spent
.Thanksgiving at Eosebud.
Supt. Travis and wife visited
friends in the city Monday.
John Simpson is limping from
the effects of a sprained ankle.
Mrs. Will Searby of Crookston
was in town the first of the week.
Max E. Viertel , the Crookston
merchant , was in the city Tuesday.
X. A. and John Bullis returned
yesterday from their western trip.
Arthur Sherman's little boy ,
who has been staying at Del's , got
a severe gash cut over his eye as
a result of falling on the ice today.
i
Mr. and Mrs. John DeWoody
came up from Ainsworth last
week in time to eat Thanksgiving
turkey with their daughter , Mrs.
Frank Brayton , and are visiting
in the city.
In youth the trouble is to find
enough to eat and when you grow
up you'll want a stomach as strong
as a 40 mule team and large enough
to accommodate a flock of turkeys ,
a barrel of cranberries and a car
load of generalities.
Frank Peacock of Merriman
was in the city yesterday on busi
ness. We learned from him that
he had sold the prescription stock
of his drug store to H. Green and
intends to move his remaining
stock to some" other town.
Mrs. Elmore has decided to re
move her stock of millinery to
Gordon where she owns a build
ing and will engage in the millin
ery business there. She shipped
her goods yesterday and departed
yesterday evening for Gordon.
Tom , George and Harvey Horn
by and Fred Cu mbow went up to
Eosebud today to assist with work
in the Jordan Merc. Co. store
during the rush after the big pay
ment to the Indians this week ,
which amounts to about § 30 per
head.
The Junior League , assisted by
the professor and teachers of the
school , will give a unique enter
tainment "A College Opening"
on Dec. 14 , at the home of Mr.
and Mrs. G. H. Hornby. Every
effort is being made to afford an
enjoyable time for all who may at
tend. A cordial iiiitation is ex
tended. Program will be printed |
In next week's paper. '
PRICE OF WHEAT DOWN
Republican Protection Does Not
Protect the Grower.
THE PROTECTED TRUSTS PEOSPEE
Trices of Commodities Have Advanc
ed on the Average Nearly 50 Per
Cent , While the Farm era Have to
Pay These High Prices With Fifty
Cent Wheat.
The export shippers of grain at Chicago
cage declare that the trunk line rail
roads refuse to accept grain for ship
ment from Buffalo to New York , Bos
ton and Philadelphia or contract for its
future transportation. The railroads
claim they have not cars enough to
move grain , but the shippers declare it
is all a scheme to hold back grain at
Chicago and other western points until
navigation on the lakes Is closed for
the winter. Then the railroads can
take their time in transporting it at the
advanced freight rates which invari
ably go into effect after navigation
closes.
This is bad news for the wheat grow
ers , for it will probably force down the
price of wheat , which is already too
low for profit. It may also lead to the
loss of a market for large quantities of
wheat which would be bought by Eng
lish buyers if delivered in advance of
the Argentine crop , which begins to
move in January. The price of wheat
Is now but from 50 to 60 cents to the
grower at the local markets , and a fur
ther decline in price will be a disaster
to many growers that have bills to meet
based on the high prices of what they
have purchased.
How do those farmers who have ac
cepted the stand pat doctrine that the
wheat grower is protected by the tariff
from the pauper raised wheat of Ar
gentina , Russia , India and other coun
tries like the outlook ? How can the
Republican spellbinders and organs
explain the low price of wheat , al
though it is protected by a tariff duty
of 25 cents a bushel ? The speeches of
Secretary Shaw and Secretary Wilson ,
in which they try to prove that the
tariff protects the farmer and is a uni
versal prosperity producer , must fall
rather flat and provoke anything but
enthusiasm in the hearts of the west
ern wheat growers.
As the price of nearly everything the
farmer buys is still advancing and
Bradstreet's index numbers for Octo
ber show that the average price of
commodities has increased since June ,
1897 , nearly 3D per cent , to make things
even wheat should be 50 per cent high
er and be advancing annually in price
about 5 per cent , as other protected
products are.
How much longer will Republican
farmers submit to this one sided pro
tection that fosters trusts and allows
them to force up the prices of their
tariff protected products and compels
the farmer to sell his surplus products
in the markets of the world at world
wide prices ? No system of trust pro
tection can protect the farmer in ob
taining better prices for his products ,
of which more are raised than can be
consumed in this country. The sur
plus must be sold for what it will
bring. No combination of wheat grow
ers can force up the price of wheat ,
for the shrinkage and expense of stor
ing will eat up any increase in price
which might be gained by holding back
the surplus from market , unless there
should be a worldwide failure of the
wheat crop to cause a very great ad
vance lu price.
The impudent attempt of the Repub
licans to make the fanners believe that
their prosperity has been brought about
by the Republican policy of protected
Instead of the bountiful crops which
nature and hard work have provided Is
entirely disproved by the disappoint
ment of the wheat growers at the drop
In the price of wheat. Xor can the Re
publicans explain to the satisfaction of
any wide awake farmer why under
the system of trust protection that
has so vastly increased the price of
trust products the price of protected
wheat should not be equally advanced.
To explain how the tariff fosters trusts
and does not foster agriculture would ,
If truthfull } ' given , entirely demolish
the stand pat doctrine upon which the
farmers are asked to support the Re
publican ticket.
Homer Tait drove IL from Ken
nedy Tuesday after a load of
freight.
WHAT SHOULD BE MADE
OF THE UNAPPROPRIATED
iVEBNMENT LAND
. . .
By C. H. Cornell.
It is estimated by best authori
ties that when all the millions that
ifc is proposed to expend , both in
national and private capital , in the
reclamation of the arid and serai-
arid lands by irrigation , shall have
been disbursed , that not to exceed
ten per cent of said lands will have
been brought under subjection.
That is , that irrigation cannot pos
sibly cover more than ten per
cent of that vast area ; consequent
ly the 90 per cent remaining can
not be depended upon to furnish
homes in such quantities as has
heretofore met the requirements
of the homesteader. True , what
is known as ' 'surface cultivation"
or the "Campbell system , " is be
ing vigorously advertised just
now , and is the agency through
which many hundreds of settlers
are being induced to locate on
lands , that four or five years ago
it would have been thought insane
for a man to undertake to farm ,
and so far with comparative suc
cess. However , while the rain
falls of the past two or three seas
ons have not been very much in
excess of those of the years im
mediately preceding , they have
been seasonable , falling at a time
when a given amount of moisture
could do the most good. It is to
be hoped that this' condition will
continue to become more humid ,
but nearly thirty year's continuous
residence , during most of which
time dry winds have blighted the
hopes and ambitions of the fron
tier farmer , inclines me to fear
the contrary. Even though a
large area should become subject
to the "Campbell system , " to an
extent that a homestead would
grow enough farm products to
prevent its occupant deserting it
in the hope of better results with
each succeeding season , there
would then remain a very much
larger area that could by no pos
sible means become agricultural
lands. The sand hills of western
Nebraska ; the bad lands of Dakota
and Wyoming ; the rocky , craggy
canons of almost every state con
taining arid lands , and those mil
lions of acres are used and will
continue to be used for grazing
only. Those are the lands that
are in question athis time. Those
are the lands that have been
fenced by the mile , a single pas
ture embracing hundreds of acres.
Those are the lands for which
sheep have been driven over preci
pices and killed by the thousands ,
the intimation being that the own
ers of cattle did so for the preser
vation of what they termed their
ranges , although it was at the time ,
and is yet , government land.
Strange to say , there is no au
thority in law for preventing tres-
pcss.upon strictly public or gov
ernment lands. Reservations ,
under special enactments , confer
authority upon some governmental
department to exercise jurisdic
tion , as , for instance , the Interior
Department over Indian , war over
military , and the agricultural of
the recently enacted forest reser
vation. But the decisions are that
people have trespassed upon the
public lands since the foundation
of the government , and although
the public lands are under the con
trol of the Interior Department ,
that department is not in position
( by reason of United States su
preme court decisions ) to say to a
cattleman nor sheepman that he
cannot graze his herds upon nor
drive them over said lands at his
pleasure. It can say to him , due
to the Van Wyck law of February
25 , 1885 , that he cannot fence the
land , thus keeping off the other
fellow , but he can stay there if
the other fellow cannot put him
off. Also no authority is confer
red on any person to collect any
revenue , and under present laws ,
neither nation , state , county nor
i any other authority can levy a
cent of revenue for use of those
lands.
In the past , where there were
more public lands than were de
sired by the herdsman or home
steader , these conditions worked
no injury to anyone , but , with the
gradual settlement of those tracts
that offer any inducement to the
home maker , thus driving back
the range stockman , together with
the vastly increasing numbers of
the latter , thus largely increasing
the numbers of live stock , more
particularly sheep , conditions have
changed. While formerly range
| could be had for the taking , or
occupancy , now a contest is on be
tween cattle and sheep men , with
here and there the homesteader
"butting in" to the discomfort of
both. This , with no one tosay
nay , with the least authority.
While formerly these arid plains
had no value because there was a
surplus of acres , now the stock
man occupies them , conducting a
more or less paying business , each
anxious to increase his area , with
no one to adjust differences , con
sequently chaos. My position is
that congress should enact laws
vesting in some branch of the gov
ernment , preferably the Interior
Department , the right of absolute
control over the same , to the ex
tent of depriving anyone of the use
of any part of the government do
main if found necessary , but since
it is better for the land itself that
someone should occupy and con
trol it , said department should be
authorized to sell , lease or other
wise dispose of the same. Since
conditions differ so materially in
the several states , I shall not at
tempt to deal with the 5)V
disposition of the lands as a whole ,
but confine myself to the sand hill
counties of Nebraska , and for
illustration take Cherry county ;
Cherry county is 63 by 96 miles ,
comprising 3,684,000 acres , di
vided as follows :
Sections 16 and 36 State
school lands 214,667
School indemnity 27.321
Total state school lands. . 241,988
Fort Niobrara military
reservation 60,501
Forest reserve 177,188
Patented to individuals ,
and taxable 722,132
Under homestead filings. 1,167,869
Vacant or unappropriat
ed ( See report Comr.
Gen'l Land Office fiscal
year ending June 30 ,
1906) ) 1,314.322
Total 3,684,000
It must not be inferred from the
above that Cherry county com
prises all poor land since the deed
ed ( taxable ) land covers an area a
little larger than the combined
areas of Pierce and Madison coun
ties , and some of these acres are
producing as good farm products
as the most favored spots of Ne
braska. However ; surveys were
made in the latter seventies , since
which time invitations have been
out to the homesteader to avail
himself of 160 acres free. That
offer not appearing sufficiently
attractive , congress on Apri [ 28 ,
1904 , or nearly thirty years after
the lands were surveyed for set
tlement , under the "Kinkaid Act , "
multiplied the area by four grant
ing an actual homestead settler
640 acres. That attracted atten
tion to the remaining vacant lands
as nothing else had , and brought
about examination by persons de
sirous of establishing actual bona
fide homes and in some cases a re
sumption of filings , some of them
in good faith but many not. How
ever , the records show that at
present there approximately 1-
157,869 ocres held under home
stead entry. It would require
one familiar with the country , to
be very optimistic to predict that
more than fifty per cent or a little
( Continued of page 5) )
V ® . -Tie
lumber Co.
desires to call your attention to their
excellent line of
Lumber , Lath , Shingles ,
Moulding and Posts ,
We also have
Tables , Ash Cans , Lamps , Chairs , Settees ,
Spring Cots , Mattresses , Pillows , Tools *
at less than half price.
$5.00 per cord
CORD WOOD
The largest , cheapest and best line of
VEHICLES
in Cherry County.
"
G LUMBER CO.
Valentine - Nebraska.
New Hotel 3C Near Depot
Electric Lights *
Chicago House ,
J. A. Hornback , Propr.
Guests for Trains a Specialty.
Good Rooms , 2C Good Service ,
GRANT BOYER ,
CARPENTER & BUILDER.
All kinds of' wood work done to order. Stock tanks made in all sizes.
Valentine , - Nebraska
Winter Goods
Underwear and Caps at Half Price.
Corne and See Us.
Moved across to east side Main street.
PHONE 97 ,
.JOHN
W. C. T. 17. Column.
We hope on Dec. 18 we may have
a special program at our regular
meeting by a superintendent of de
partment work. Let us rally our
forces and make our meetings in
teresting and profitable.
Excursion Katos to Xnneol n.
Via the Northwestern Line. Tick
ets will be sold December 11 to 14 ,
inclusive , limited to return until
Dec. 17 , inclusive , on account of
Nebraska Cora Contest and Con
vention. Apply to agents Chicago
& Northwestern Ey. 472
"In A Woman's Power , " a play
for the masses , appeals so strongly
to the hearts of the people that it
has become endeared to the theatre-
going public. It will appear at
Church's opera house Tuesday ,
Jan. 1st. Wait for it.
Mrs. Marsden of Ains worth is
visiting her daughter , Mrs. Slon-
ecker , in this city.
A lot of railroad ties are being
unloaded at Valentine , preparatory
to building the new track from
Arabia to Valentine , which will
probably be done the first thing
in the spring. Surveyors are
busy every day looking over the
ground.
C.W. Cramer and wife departed
last Thursday evening , going to
St. Joe from here , where Mr.
Cramer expects to consult an eye
specialist and will visit their
daughter in St. Joe. Mr. Cramer
was in very poor health when he
left Valentine.
We
Sell
Lumber
BISHOP & YOUNG ,
CODY , NEB.
U S. Weather Bureau Report
tor week Ending Dtc. 5.
The daily mean temperature was
33.4 ° and the °
normal 80.3 , a
rise of 3 ° above. The highest tem
perature was 64 ° on the 3rd , low
est 15 ° on the fifth.
The precipitation was 0.2o of an
inch in the form of rain , sleet and
snow. The sleet here was very
heavy ; thfi snow very light but cov
ering the ground. The total pre
cipitation for the year to date is
26.39 inches and the average for
the same period for 18 years is
18.83.
Fischer's New Orchestra is now
open for concert , dance and re
ception engagements. Reasonable
prices. Latest standard dance and
concert music. Special music fur
nished for any occasion. This or
chestra does church , benefit and
charity work at actual expense/
Frank Fischer , conductor ; Boberfc > '
J.Webb , trombonist ; Wallace Mc
Donald , cornetist ; Miss Blanche
Springer , pianist. We also solicit
out of town engagements. 46