THE CARE OF THE RANGE 233 



the conditions, yet "fear to fly from ills that are to evils 

 that they know not of." 



Generally speaking, the cattlemen of the entire west- 

 ern region are heartily in favor of the 'plan. They have 

 long realized the absolute necessity for the protection 

 afforded the range-users through a * liberal policy of 

 Government control of the range. Their business does 

 not demand a great expanse of range, as does that of 

 the sheepmen; hence they can accept the promises of 

 the Government experts that the matter can be so 

 handled as to give every man his fair share of the range 

 and not interfere 'with personal rights gained through 

 long use of the range. 



Success in Handling the Range. The success of the 

 Forest Service in handling the range is pointed to as 

 an example of what may be done in the matter. The 

 larger sheepmen, smarting from what they term the in- 

 terference of the Forest Service with their business, in 

 cutting down their herds to make room for the small 

 settlers denounce the plan, and declare that while things 

 are bad enough as they are, under Government control 

 they would be worse. 



There is little real foundation for this feeling except- 

 ing that Government control would put an end to the 

 hogging of the ranges by any men, no matter what 

 their business. Today the man with the great herds 

 has the matter almost entirely in his own hands. He 

 can allow the little fellow to live and obtain his part 

 of the range, or he can snuff him out in one season. To 

 the credit of the stockmen of all classes, this is not com- 

 monly the case today, although it was, not many years 

 ago. Generally speaking, the old plan of riding rough- 

 shod over the little herds is a thing of the past. Never- 



