122 MAJOR JOHN F. LACEY 



cattle from one part to another to allow the depleted 

 range to become restored, and the certainty that they will 

 get the benefit of the increased production will induce 

 them to care for the pasture with a view to its preserva- 

 tion. 



There is only one experiment involved in this bill, and 

 that is the attempt to limit its operation to the home- 

 steader and the small landowner alone. This will work 

 no hardship upon the large cattle owners, because the re- 

 maining land will still be open to free range, and the 

 owners of the large herds can also subdivide their stock 

 and let portions of the same out to graze upon the leased 

 lands. It would result in a new impetus to homestead 

 settlement, for settlers would locate homesteads in order 

 to have the benefit of the appurtenant leasehold right who 

 could not afford to make the attempt to live on 160 acres 

 of land in a locality where the great sheep and cattle own- 

 ers would consume all of the surrounding pasturage. 



Many of the arid states are already trying the experi- 

 ment of leasing state lands on their own account, and al- 

 though these leases have not been in existence very long, 

 the results in some of the states would indicate that the 

 leased state range is already very much better than the 

 public land in the same locality that has been subject to 

 free and indiscriminate grazing. 



The subdivision and exercise of proper care in the man- 

 agement of this immense area of pasture land is even 

 more important in my judgment than the question of ir- 

 rigation, for nearly all of the arid lands can be made to 

 produce pasture, while comparatively a very small por- 

 tion can ever be used successfully in raising irrigated 

 crops. The leases not being transferable, the amount of 

 each lease being limited, the range would be preserved 

 and at the same time protected from monopoly. 



It is proposed in the bill that corporations shall not be 



