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lands leased on long terms. It should be supported by every one 

 who has an interest in the future welfare of this State and the 

 general prosperity of the country at large. Stockmen are very 

 naturally opposed to the passage of any such legislation, because 

 this large tract of land is now furnishing them a considerable 

 amount of forage free of cost. His profits are consequently larger 

 and his wealth accumulates more rapidly. The question, how- 

 ever, is one for State and national legislation to settle. Not only 

 must the stock-owner of the present day be considered, but the 

 productiveness of the lands must be maintained if the State is to 

 have any permanent prosperity. What will the stockman do 

 twenty years from now when this vast area has been made into a 

 barren wilderness? This condition can be found to-day in Arizona 

 and Texas, and is bound to come to Nevada within a few years 

 unless different methods for grazing on the ranges are adopted. 



What inducement will we have for capital? Of what use 

 will we have for our woolen mills, stock yards, cold storage, 

 warehouses and other enterprises without cattle and sheep to till 

 them? True enough, large numbers of individuals may by that 

 time have accumulated large fortunes, but these, surrounded by 

 61,000,000 acres of barren land, can add but little to the general 

 prosperity of the State. 



The sheepmen purchase, lease or rent from the railroad com- 

 pany, State or private individuals, tracts of land, ranging their 

 sheep on them part of the time and the remainder on the free 

 public range. The general plan is to purchase the land in the 

 vicinity of streams and springs, and in this manner get control of 

 much of the surrounding country for themselves for grazing 

 purposes. Difficulty sometimes arises from traveling bands that 

 belong to sheepmen who own no land anywhere, but move con- 

 tinually on the free government land, and sneak in on land 

 owned by cattlemen and other sheepmen. The better class of 

 sheepmen, however, recognize each others rights to graze over 

 certain parts of the range and often agree among themselves as to 

 division lines. Under no consideration should an owner, leaser 

 or renter of a piece of range allow, even for remuneration, another 

 man's sheep to graze after him with the idea that he has gotten 

 out of it all tie needs this year, and plenty more will grow on it 



