"Angus 21, 100
TIIE ILLUSTRATED BEE.
Tn Illustrated Bnn.
Published Weekly by The Pee Publishing
Company, lice Building, Omaha, Neb.
, a i
Trice, 6a Per CopyPer Year, $2.00.
Entered nt the Omaha l'ustofllce as Second
Class Mall Matter.
ror Advertising Hates Addres Publisher.
Communications relating to photograph or
article's fcr publication rhuld be ad
dressed, ' dltur The Illustrated Bee,
Omaha."
Pen and Picture Pointers
t'RINCJ tho week Omaha was vls-
D I ted by one of the most dlstln
I enlshrd soldiers on the roll of the
United fitntes army, lieutenant
General Adnce It. Chaffee, now
clil f-of-staft of the ormy. General Chaffeo
Is tho second man to wear the insignia of
Ms hlyh office who has come up through
all grades from that of enlisted man, and
who has served with credit to himself and
the army In every capacity, ll'.a life story
has been told before In The Hoe and will
Hot now bo repeated. Something might well
be said, however, concerning his present
position. When It was determined to re
organize the army, after the cxpirlecce of
the war with Spain, those In authority did
not stop half way. All American tradition
vaa abandoned and a fresh start made.
Somo desultory work had been done along
tho lines on which a genernl staff Is pup
posed to operate, but It had been In a per
functory and to a large extent experimen
tal manner. Now that the staff has been
mado a feature of tho army organization.
It has! entered upon the active work of pre
paring plans and devising equipment, to
the end that, should the United S:atea
again bo required to take the field, It will
not find ltelf In the humiliating position
that confronted the peoplo on tho break'ng
out of tho Spanish war, when lha volunteer
fonts had to be sent out with fibTlote
equipment, and the little handful of regu
lars was alnust as badly off, while the
fact that the old-fashioned powder was
used mudo even our friends among the na
tions smile., and Its use nlded the enemy
to direct his deadly fire agalnpt our men.
This matter of guns and powder waa only
an Item In the general unpreparedness the
country was In at the close of thirty jreara
Of profound peace.
3
It Is not the spirit of militarism that baa
led to the reforms In the army, but the
exercise of ordinary prudence. No one
doubts the mettle at the American soldier;
bis liko Is not found elsewlicre ta the
world, but the American soldier Is not to
be sent again Into tha Held, handicapped
by foolish adherence to tradition. Since
tho closa of the war with Spain the world
bns been given two startling examples of
the ud vantage being ready gives to a fight
ing foroe In the Held. The Boers were
ready when they began the war with Great
Ilrltaln, and the Japanese were ready when
the present hostilities with Russia were
opened. Once at least before this lesson
was exemplified. In the caso of the war
between Franco and Germany. Von
Moltke'a celebrated remark, "Drawer tl,"
bus become a cIuhsIc among military men.
Jt may not be that the United States or
ganisation will ever reach the perfection
that haa been shown by tho Japanese,
where milltnry service Is compulsory, but
it la certain that the next timo the army
takes the Held It will be under far more
gratifying conditions than existed on the
occasion of the last nssembly of the forces
that fight under Old Glory.
In tho very .nature of things the work
of tho greueral staff Is s;rot. Some out
ward exhibition of Its activity Is shown In
the charu-CJ made now and then In equip
ment or distribution of forces, but thei
groat mass of Ita Investigations, dellbera-
tlons and labors must necessarily remain
In the archives of the army at Washing
ton until such flme as they will be needed.
Jt is not violating any conll.lenco In stat
in that tho work Is boln, done In thor
oughly systematla manner, by hcientlflc sol
diers who have well l?rne-.l their trade
of fifchtlng. General Chaffee l.a-i at present
tho direction of thli work and brings to It
a mind equipped by Ion experience in th
array for the exigencies that arl--e and the
problems that must be solved. He U sur
rounded by men who knew thvlr share of
the work thoroughly, and while the gen
eral staff l.n't nllirvj many newspaper col
umns with reports of Its achievements nor
using many mag.ix'ne page In a dtscuwilm
of theories as to the various problems that
arise In connection with an army In the
field. It Is quietly fulfilling its mission.
More Than a Foot
The eultan was very aegry.
"They can't make mo sheil out by point
ing a gunnt me," he houraely announced.
"Won't you meet the parties?" the vlxler
mildly Inquired.
"No," thundered the commander of the
faithful. "I tell you they can't make me
tlr a foot by pointing a gun at me!"
"IJut, your InciTablo hlghnesai," persisted
the vlxler, "thla is a IVlnch gun!'"
The sultan reached fur his turban.
That's different," be sald.-Cleveland
Plain Dealer.
Stockman's Homestead and Grazing Range
T cms throughout more than 4(0,-
grazing lands has been describoJ
many times recently In articles
discussing the question of the proper dis
posal of these lands. In general, the situa
tion Is everywhere tho same temporary
occupation without ownership or legal
possessory rights, by stock men, c.f that
public domain whose purpose is to pro
vldo room and opportunity ns long and ns
fully as possible for the nation's rapidly
expanding population.
Mindful of such an Important utility for
our public lands, any damage to this na
tional asset must bo considered, virtually,
as a sacrifice of national territory. In
asmuch as Its Impairment means tho loss
of so much foothold and working room for
prospective settlers. Yet exactly this has
been the result of the misfit application of
existing land laws to western conditions.
These laws, virtually Inoperative in a grac
ing country, have necessarily boon sup
plemented by the unwritten law of the
range, framed and enforced by those strong
enough to toko and bold possession for a
brief term of years.
Tho result of such occupation In, usually,
that excessive numbers of animals are put
upon this free pasture, the profits are
run up as quickly as possible while yet
tho range remains free, and then, when tho
j&rass Is gone, when the plains and hill
silos are converted Into gullied barrens,
and oftentimes, when the profits of the
first years are canceled by the losses of
later ones, the nation's ruined estate Is
abandoned to the tender mercies of the
next and more ruthless occupant who may
still find something convertible thereon.
The effect of this unregulated and de
structive tenure varies greatly with those
conditions of noil, topography, rainfall, heat
and frost which affect the endurance of a
graxlng country. More favored districts
in more northerly, humid or elevated situa
tions still retain an Important fraction
of their primeval value, but in portions of
the southwest, where the soils are sandy
and easily washed, where the rainfall is
light and often untimely, where the hot,
dry climate causes enormous evaporation,
and where, consequently, the effects of un
regulated graslng are most destructive,
maiy great areas of formerly grassy coun
try may be safely stated to be capablo of
supporting; not one-tenth of the stock that
on co ranged there.
It may be assumed, probably without ex
aggerating tho loss, that the publio graxlng
ranges of the west now average not more
than half of their original value lands,
too, which can never be Irrigated and for
which there is no possible use but as graslng-
territory. Differently stated, this
means that the United States, for want of
proper laws to govern Its public domain,
has suffered a loss equal In effective value
to, say. 200,000,000 acres of grazing lands
an area greater than the state of Texas
or equal to a strip of territory 230 miles
wide extending from tha Rio Grand 3 to
the Canadian boundary. It is evident
that only the wreckage of western graxlng
values remains to be legislated for and
that tho problems of the now depleted
range are largely those of reconstruction
for a falling country, occupied by more or
less conflicting Interests by cattle, sheep
and goats, by large companies and by
small individuals.
There are few remaining to defend the old
order of "free grass for all;" for this re
gime, satisfactory enough when there was
grass for all, haa, with the failure of the
ranges, demonstrated its own rulnousness.
Tho problem confronting range Interests
at thli time Is to devise land laws wh'ch
shall enable a maximum population to sup
port Itself In a pastoral country; and to
make these laws so flexible as to app'y to
all grades, both best and poorest, of gras
lng lands, harmonise all kinds of s ock In
terests thereon and provide for the often
unexpected development, through Irriga
tion, of agricultural lands within formerly
purely grazing districts.
Tho existing conditions are those of a
country reduced by overgrazing and bad
management to a fraction of Its pcwsib'.e
value and requiring to be fenced, rereeJed,
repaired and protected In crder to tveu
partly restore that value.
Practically tha only proposals thus far
made to remedy existing conditions are to
lease the public lands In blocks at stated
rents, 'or to Issue permits to individuals
to run stated numbers of animals upon
specified portions of the public range.
The unsatisfactory nature of these pro
posals is ai tested, in part, by their re
peated rejection by one or another faction
of those concerned, and for reasons quite
evident when the merits of the measures
are considered. Lease or fence laws i per
mitting the control of large bodies of
land on the basis of competitive bids are
usually favored by the wealthier and better
established stock raisers who would be at
an advantage tinder such law, and art
earnestly opposed by the small men who
would be exterminated through their op
eration. Horizontal lease laws have teen
proposed providing for the basing of nit
gra.- 'og lands at the same rate per acre
of rental. When it is considered that
different grazing districts may easily re
quire all the way from three to sixty acres
to support a single cow the unjust dis
crimination against the more desert ranges
of a horizontal rato per acre leaso law Is
too evident to require discussion.
The leasing ldefl, nevertheless, has a
good foundation In the fact that It recog
nizes that In order to place the grazing
Indurtrlos on a stable basis stockmen, like
farmers, must have control of the land
upon which they operate; but methods
have not yet been proposed for an open
and equitable division of graxlng lands
among applicants therefor.
The permit system also, In one form or
another, has many advocates possibly
largely for tho reason that this method
has teon rut Into practice on forest and
Indian reserves and its results are known
to thneo who would expect to take advant
age of it. The permit system, however, Is
practically no better than free range with
a tax added to tho stockman's expenses and
a more or lews unsuccessful attempt on the
part of the government to regulate the
number of animals in a specified district.
As under the free regime tho stockfian Is
not protected by assurance of permanent
or long continued tenure of range, ha
consequently desires to get tho whole value
out of his conccswiun while it lasts and
often yields to the temptation to placo
more animals upon his territory than his
permit calls for. The destructive effects of
tho permit system as they are to be seen
on certain Arizona reservations are not re
assuring as to the good results of this
method In practice.
It Is doubtful. In brief, that a -atl-fae-tory
method of disposal for wo tern graz
ing ranges and their use as such has tx-en
dcvlced and we naturally turn at this time
to Australia for suggestions. This country,
which is, and always has been, more a
pastoral than an agricultural region, for
the last seventy-five years has been mak
ing and remodeling Its laws relating to the
disposal of crown lands to settlers. Tho
fruits of this long experience are of unusual
significance to us at the present time. As
they now stand the land laws of various
of the Australian states present the fol
lowing sensible features: First, grazing
lands are divided according to their ca
pacity to carry stock Into as many as four
classes and settlers aro permitted to occupy
smaller or greater allotments of territory
according to its quality. 8econd, these
lands are occupied under long tenure leases,
with renewal privileges, which gtve prac
tically permanent control to the stockmen.
In addition to tho motive thus created to
improve their leaseholds they are alo
usually required by law to fence and other
wise improve their holdings. Third, the
classification of lands and their allotment
to settlers Is done by boards of commission
ers acting for the government with a view
to correct Judgment and equitable division
of the public lands.
These are the leading feature- of those
laws which have resulted from the better
part of a century of Anglo-Saxon experi
ence in a pastoral country.
The operation of these laws with ref
ence to the development of pastoral Indus
try is stated to be highly satisfactory.
Vast areas of ssml-desert lands, divided
into comparatively small holdings, are le
gaily occupied for long terms by stockmen
who, prompted both by law and their own
best Interests, Improve their holdings.
Thus it is that in Australia an immense
pastoral country has been fenced, sub
stantial Improvements are Installed, pro
vision Is made against famine In dry years,
animal pests are exterminated, poisonous
plants are eradicated and an era of im
provement has apparently b?u inaugu
rated directly due to a recognition cf the
'fact that the Anglo-Saxon must have pro
prietary interest In land if he Is expected
to improve Its condition.
In ur happy contrast to the upbuilding of
pastoral Australia Is the reverse process
sverywhere evident In our own western
itates. The spoliation which ha resulted.
Inevitably, from the lack of laws having
tor their object a saving administration of
the range country, has resulted in a grad
ual but sure decline of Its carrying ca
pacity. In some districts, especially where
under stress of overgrazing the soil Is
easily eroded by rainfall, this damage can
never be repaired; in others, restriction of
grazing, reseedlng and other remedial
measures may effect a large measure of
. restoration.
As to what these remedial measures
Should be In the United States, there is, of
course, great difference of opinion, Influ
enced In part by the Interests of those
concerned and In part by Ignorance of the
proolem itself.
Successful prosing range laws must of
necessity rest upon two kinds of knowl
edgeknowledge of the rane Itself the
forages that It bears, their habits of
growth and reproduction, their food value
for nnlrnals, tho classification of graxlng
country Into different grades, and the car
rying capacity and endurance of these
different kinds of range. This Is a subj.tct
the ntudy of which within th past few
years bus been vigorously entered upon by
various economic botanists, especially by
certain of tha state experiment stations
and by the United States Department of
Agriculture.
Tho second sort of knowledge required
i3 that derived from legislative experience
in dealing with purely grazing lands else
where. The results of such experience, ara
to bo found In Australia probably more
than in any other modern country.
Australian experience, considered to
gether with the traditions of our own land!
laws, points to tha practicability in tha
United Slates of the stockman's home
stead or long term leasehold In pastoral
districts. The homestead Idea, long-tried
and well approved in this country", is,
briefly, that a settler shall be granted
enough territory to afford hlra a living-
enough and no more.
As applied to tbo Mississippi valley, a
homestead meant 1C0 acres of land, this
area being found In the average instance)
sufficient for a farming family. But when
the tide of Immigration pushed west of
tho 100th meridian Info tho semi-arid re
gions, It was found either that 160 acres)
with water was worth a great deal more,
or that 180 acres without water was worth
vastly less than that same area back in
the Mississippi valley,
Tha far greater value of irrigated lands
has been recognized and provided for under
the terms of the Newlands act, and, ac
cording to tho productive capacity of tha
lands developed by the reclamation ser
vice, the settlor will be granted a greater
or less portion adequate for his support.
Continuing the application of the Idea,
why should we not apportion grazlnjj
ranges on precisely the same principles',
granting a sufficient acreage for a suffi
cient timo to afford the small stockman
the necessary territory to support tha
herd whose increase shall give him a llvlngf
income, nnd protecting him In hl3 tenuro
for a sufficient length of time to creata
an Incentive for the maintenance and im
provement of his range.
In Australia from 1,280 to 40,000 acres of
grazing lands, according to quality, are
thus leased, at rates proportionate to value,
for terms of from fourteen to forty-two
years. Many benefits are experienced under
these provisions. Sheep and cattle wars
are rendered Impossible since each Interest
is confined to its own territory. Coopera
tive arrangements aro entered into exten
. KiViSly where cooperation permits of mora
economical management of large adjoining
leaseholds. Grazing leaseholds are oper
ated in connection with cultivated farms;
and humane methods of handling stocli
are rendered possible.
The operation ot the grazing leasehold
plan Implies the creation of a suitable
means for classifying grazing lands accord
ing to their productive capacity, and deeig
natlng the various areas in different dis
tricts which will support, without destruc
tion of the range, the income producing
herd of the small stockman.
Proper provisions for residence upon and
improvement of holdings should be made,
insuring good faith of occupants and vary
ing with conditions in different districts.
Co-operation should be recognized and
provided for in districts where the sparse
ness of the range, the scarcity of water and
tho comparative costliness of fencing
makes it advisable for neighbors to act
Jointly.
Provision should be made for the renewal
of a long-tenure lease by the original
holder provided the land remains purely
graslng country; birt In case of possible
artesian or Irrigation development provision
should also be made for throwing the lease
hold open to more intensive culture.
On these and other concurrent lines, as
seems to have been demonstrated by Oia
Anglo-Saxon sheep and cattlemen cf Aus
tralia, It should be possible to fulfl 1 tha
purpose of otir public domain and liaoe
upon It a maximum numbcr-of American
citizens secure In their rights to sufficient
territory to secure a living for themadfrs.
Tucson, Ariz. It. II. FORBES.
Trading Off Love Tokens
A society man whose perfect dancing Is ,
the envy of all the men he knows and tha
admiration of all the women, stopped on
Charles - street the other day to greet an
acquaintance.
"I'm amusing myself this morning sell
ing old jewelry," said the society man.
"Old Jewelry! Whose?" queried his ao
qualntpnce.
"Why, the returned love tokens of a lot
of girls I know. Things' they have given
men whom they adored for a brief sea.
on and with whom they exchanged gifts
of Jewelry, which, like the cat, 'came back'
when a coolness ensued.
"But the funniest part Is their reasons
for parting with these souvenirs of aflec
tions they want the money to buy memen
toes for other men who have supplanted
the first In their changing affections. Hence
my mission to the pawn shops and dealers
In old gold." He drifted away to seek a
sign of three balls, humming the waits
thai was played at the Spielgartenfest and
Jangling In his pockets the love tokens,
some of which were worn as pledges of
never-dying affection on that occasion.
Baltimore Sun.