the passing of the frontier-第21章

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　fattened　there；　now　wrote　its　brief　and　unworthy　history。　In　a　strange　way　corrupt　politics　and　corrupt　business　affected　the　phases　of　the　cattle　industry　as　they　had　affected　our　relations　with　the　Indians。　More　than　once　a　herd　of　some　thousand　beeves　driven　up　from　Texas　on　contract；　and　arriving　late　in　autumn；　was　not　accepted　on　its　arrival　at　the　army　postsome　pet　of　Washington　perhaps　had　his　own　herd　to　sell！　All　that　could　be　done　then　would　be　to　seek　out　a　〃holding　range。〃　In　this　way；　more　and　more；　the　capacity　of　the　northern　Plains　to　nourish　and　improve　cattle　became　established。

Naturally；　the　price　of　cows　began　to　rise；　and　naturally；　also；　the　demand　for　open　range　steadily　increased。　There　now　began　the　whole　complex　story　of　leased　lands　and　fenced　lands。　The　frontier　still　was　offering　opportunity　for　the　bold　man　to　reap　where　he　had　not　sown。　Lands　leased　to　the　Indians　of　the　civilized　tribes　began　to　cut　large　figure　in　the　cow　tradeas　well　as　some　figure　in　politicsuntil　at　length　the　thorny　situation　was　handled　by　a　firm　hand　at　Washington。　The　methods　of　the　East　were　swiftly　overrunning　those　of　the　West。　Politics　and　graft　and　pull；　things　hitherto　unknown；　soon　wrote　their　hurrying　story　also　over　all　this　newly　won　region　from　which　the　rifle…smoke　had　scarcely　yet　cleared　away。

But　every　herd　which　passed　north　for　delivery　of　one　sort　or　the　other　advanced　the　education　of　the　cowman；　whether　of　the　northern　or　the　southern　ranges。　Some　of　the　southern　men　began　to　start　feeding　ranges　in　the　North；　retaining　their　breeding　ranges　in　the　South。　The　demand　of　the　great　upper　range　for　cattle　seemed　for　the　time　insatiable。

To　the　vision　of　the　railroad　builders　a　tremendous　potential　freightage　now　appeared。　The　railroad　builders　began　to　calculate　that　one　day　they　would　parallel　the　northbound　cow　trail　with　iron　trails　of　their　own　and　compete　with　nature　for　the　carrying　of　this　beef。　The　whole　swift　story　of　all　that　development；　while　the　westbound　rails　were　crossing　and　crisscrossing　the　newly　won　frontier；　scarce　lasted　twenty　years。　Presently　we　began　to　hear　in　the　East　of　the　Chisholm　Trail　and　of　the　Western　Trail　which　lay　beyond　it；　and　of　many　smaller　and　intermingling　branches。　We　heard　of　Ogallalla；　in　Nebraska；　the　〃Gomorrah　of　the　Range；〃　the　first　great　upper　marketplace　for　distribution　of　cattle　to　the　swiftly　forming　northern　ranches。　The　names　of　new　rivers　came　upon　our　maps；　and　beyond　the　first　railroads　we　began　to　hear　of　the　Yellowstone；　the　Powder；　the　Musselshell；　the　Tongue；　the　Big　Horn；　the　Little　Missouri。

The　wild　life；　bold　and　carefree；　coming　up　from　the　South　now　in　a　mighty　surging　wave；　spread　all　over　that　new　West　which　offered　to　the　people　of　older　lands　a　strange　and　fascinating　interest。　Every　one　on　the　range　had　money；　every　one　was　independent。　Once　more　it　seemed　that　man　had　been　able　to　overleap　the　confining　limitations　of　his　life；　and　to　attain　independence；　self…indulgence；　ease　and　liberty。　A　chorus　of　Homeric；　riotous　mirth；　as　of　a　land　in　laughter；　rose　up　all　over　the　great　range。　After　all；　it　seemed　that　we　had　a　new　world　left；　a　land　not　yet　used。　We　still　were　young！　The　cry　arose　that　there　was　land　enough　for　all　out　West。　And　at　first　the　trains　of　white…topped　wagons　rivaled　the　crowded　coaches　westbound　on　the　rails。

In　consequence　there　came　an　entire　readjustment　of　values。　This　country；　but　yesterday　barren　and　worthless；　now　was　covered　with　gold；　deeper　than　the　gold　of　California　or　any　of　the　old　placers。　New　securities　and　new　values　appeared。　Banks　did　not　care　much　for　the　land　as　securityit　was　practically　worthless　without　the　cattlebut　they　would　lend　money　on　cattle　at　rates　which　did　not　then　seem　usurious。　A　new　system　of　finance　came　into　use。　Side　by　side　with　the　expansion　of　credits　went　the　expansion　of　the　cattle　business。　Literally　in　hundreds　of　thousands　the　cows　came　north　from　the　exhaustless　ranges　of　the　lower　country。

It　was　a　wild；　strange　day。　But　withal　it　was　the　kindliest　and　most　generous　time；　alike　the　most　contented　and　the　boldest　time；　in　all　the　history　of　our　frontiers。　There　never　was　a　better　life　than　that　of　the　cowman　who　had　a　good　range　on　the　Plains　and　cattle　enough　to　stock　his　range。　There　never　will　be　found　a　better　man's　country　in　all　the　world　than　that　which　ran　from　the　Missouri　up　to　the　low　foothills　of　the　Rockies。

The　lower　cities　took　their　tribute　of　the　northbound　cattle　for　quite　a　time。　Wichita；　Coffeyville；　and　other　towns　of　lower　Kansas　in　turn　made　bids　for　prominence　as　cattle　marts。　Agents　of　the　Chicago　stockyards　would　come　down　along　the　trails　into　the　Indian　Nations　to　meet　the　northbound　herds　and　to　try　to　divert　them　to　this　or　that　market　as　a　shipping…point。　The　Kiowas　and　Comanches；　not　yet　wholly　confined　to　their　reservations；　sometimes　took　tribute；　whether　in　theft　or　in　open　extortion；　of　the　herds　laboring　upward　through　the　long　slow　season。　Trail…cutters　and　herd…combers；　licensed　or　unlicensed　hangers…on　to　the　northbound　throngs　of　cattle；　appeared　along　the　lower　trailswith　some　reason；　occasionally；　for　in　a　great　northbound　herd　there　might　be　many　cows　included　under　brands　other　than　those　of　the　road　brands　registered　for　the　drovers　of　that　particular　herd。　Cattle　thieving　became　an　industry　of　certain　value；　rivaling　in　some　localities　the　operations　of　the　bandits　of　the　placer　camps。　There　was　great　wealth　suddenly　to　be　seen。　The　weak　and　the　lawless；　as　well　as　the　strong　and　the　unscrupulous；　set　out　to　reap　after　their　own　fashion　where　they　had　not　sown。　If　a　grave　here　or　there　appeared　along　the　trail　or　at　the　edge　of　the　straggling　town；　it　mattered　little。　If　the　gamblers　and　the　desperadoes　of　the　cow　towns　such　as　Newton；　Ellsworth；　Abilene；　Dodge；　furnished　a　man　for　breakfast　day　after　day；　it　mattered　little；　for　plenty　of　men；　remained；　as　good　or　better。　The　life　was　large　and　careless；　and　bloodshed　was　but　an　incident。

During　the　early　and　unregulated　days　of　the　cattle　industry；　the　frontier　insisted　on　its　own　creed；　its　own　standards。　But　all　the　time；　coming　out　from　the　East；　were　scores　and　hundreds　of　men　of　exacter　notions　of　trade　and　business。　The　enormous　waste　of　the　cattle　range　could　not　long　endure。　The　toll　taken　by　the　thievery　of　the　men　who　came　to　be　called　range…rustlers　made　an　element　of　loss　which　could　not　long　be　sustained　by　thinking　men。　As　the　Vigilantes　regulated　things　in　the　mining　camps；　so　now　in　slightly　different　fashion　the　new　property　owners　on　the　upper　range　established　their　own　ideas；　their　own　sense　of　proportion　as　to　law　and　order。　The　cattle　associations；　the　banding　together　of　many　owners　of　vast　herds；　for　mutual　protection　and　mutual　gain　were　a　natural　and　logical　development。　Outside　of　these　there　was　for　a　time　a　highly　efficient　corps　of　cattle…range　Vigilantes；　who　shot　and　hanged　some　scores　of　rustlers。

It　was　a　frenzied　life　while　it　lastedthis　lurid　outburst；　the　last　flare　of　the　frontier。　Such　towns　as　Dodge　and　Ogallalla　offered　extraordinary　phenomena　of　unrestraint。　But　fortunately　into　the　worst　of　these　capitals　of　license　came　the　best　men　of　the　new　regime；　and　the　new　officers　of　the　law；　the　agents　of　the　Vigilantes；　the　advance…guard　of　civilization　now　crowding　on　the　heels　of　the　wild　men　of　the　West。　In　time　the　lights　of　the　dance…halls　and　the　saloons　and　the　gambling　parlors　went　out　one　by　one　all　along　the　frontier。　By　1885　Dodge　City；　a　famed　capital　of　the　cow　trade；　which　will　live　as　long　as　the　history　of　that　industry　is　known；　resigned　its　eminence　and　declared　that　from　where　the　sun　then　stood　it　would　be　a　cow　camp　no　more！　The　men　of　Dodge　knew　that　another　day　had　dawned。　But　this　was　after　the　homesteaders　had　arrived　and　put　up　their　wire　fences；　cutting　off　from　the　town　the　holding　grounds　of　the　northbound　herds。

This　innovation　of　barb…wire　fences　in　the　seventies　had　caused　a　tremendous　alteration　of　conditions　over　all　the　country。　It　had　enabled　men　to　fence　in　their　own　water…fronts；　their　own　homesteads。　Casually；　and　at　first　without　any　objection　filed　by　any　one；　t