the passing of the frontier-第22章

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water…fronts；　their　own　homesteads。　Casually；　and　at　first　without　any　objection　filed　by　any　one；　they　had　included　in　their　fences　many　hundreds　of　thousands　of　acres　of　range　land　to　which　they　had　no　title　whatever。　These　menlike　the　large…handed　cow　barons　of　the　Indian　Nations；　who　had　things　much　as　they　willed　in　a　little　unnoted　realm　all　their　ownhad　money　and　political　influence。　And　there　seemed　still　range　enough　for　all。　If　a　man　wished　to　throw　a　drift　fence　here　or　there；　what　mattered　it？

Up　to　this　time　not　much　attention　had　been　paid　to　the　Little　Fellow；　the　man　of　small　capital　who　registered　a　brand　of　his　own；　and　who　with　a　Maverick*　here　and　there　and　the　natural　increase；　and　perhaps　a　trifle　of　unnatural　increase　here　and　therehad　proved　able　to　accumulate　with　more　or　less　rapidity　a　herd　of　his　own。　Now　the　cattle　associations　passed　rules　that　no　foreman　should　be　allowed　to　have　or　register　a　brand　of　his　own。　Not　that　any　foreman　could　be　suspectednot　at　all！but　the　foreman　who　insisted　on　his　old　right　to　own　a　running　iron　and　a　registered　brand　was　politely　asked　to　find　his　employment　somewhere　else。

　*　In　the　early　days　a　rancher　by　the　name　of　Maverick；　a　Texas　man；　had　made　himself　rich　simply　by　riding　out　on　the　open　range　and　branding　loose　and　unmarked　occupants　of　the　free　lands。　Hence　the　term　〃Maverick〃　was　applied　to　any　unbranded　animal　running　loose　on　the　range。　No　one　cared　to　interfere　with　these　early　activities　in　collecting　unclaimed　cattle。　Many　a　foundation　for　a　great　fortune　was　laid　in　precisely　that　way。　It　was　not　until　the　more　canny　days　in　the　North　that　Mavericks　were　regarded　with　jealous　eyes。


The　large…handed　and　once　generous　methods　of　the　old　range　now　began　to　narrow　themselves。　Even　if　the　Little　Fellow　were　able　to　throw　a　fence　around　his　own　land；　very　often　he　did　not　have　land　enough　to　support　his　herd　with　profit。　A　certain　antipathy　now　began　to　arise　between　the　great　cattle　owners　and　the　small　ones；　especially　on　the　upper　range；　where　some　rather　bitter　wars　were　foughtthe　cow　kings　accusing　their　smaller　rivals　of　rustling　cows；　the　small　man　accusing　the　larger　operators　of　having　for　years　done　the　same　thing；　and　of　having　grown　rich　at　it。

The　cattle　associations；　thrifty　and　shifty；　sending　their　brand　inspectors　as　far　east　as　the　stockyards　of　Kansas　City　and　Chicago；　naturally　had　the　whip　hand　of　the　smaller　men。　They　employed　detectives　who　regularly　combed　out　the　country　in　search　of　men　who　had　loose　ideas　of　mine　and　thine。　All　the　time　the　cow　game　was　becoming　stricter　and　harder。　Easterners　brought　on　the　East's　idea　of　property；　of　low　interest；　sure　returns；　and　good　security。　In　short；　there　was　set　on　once　moreas　there　had　been　in　every　great　movement　across　the　entire　West　the　old　contest　between　property　rights　and　human　independence　in　action。　It　was　now　once　more　the　Frontier　against　the　States；　and　the　States　were　foredoomed　to　win。

The　barb…wire　fence；　which　was　at　first　used　extensively　by　the　great　operators；　came　at　last　to　be　the　greatest　friend　of　the　Little　Fellow　on　the　range。　The　Little　Fellow；　who　under　the　provisions　of　the　homestead　act　began　to　push　West　arid；　to　depart　farther　and　farther　from　the　protecting　lines　of　the　railways；　could　locate　land　and　water　for　himself　and　fence　in　both。　〃I've　got　the　law　back　of　me；〃　was　what　he　said；　and　what　he　said　was　true。　Around　the　old　cow　camps　of　the　trails；　and　around　the　young　settlements　which　did　not　aspire　to　be　called　cow　camps；　the　homesteaders　fenced　in　landso　much　land　that　there　came　to　be　no　place　near　any　of　the　shipping…points　where　a　big　herd　from　the　South　could　be　held。　Along　the　southern　range　artificial　barriers　to　the　long　drive　began　to　be　raised。　It　would　be　hard　to　say　whether　fear　of　Texas　competition　or　of　Texas　cattle　fever　was　the　more　powerful　motive　in　the　minds　of　ranchers　in　Colorado　and　Kansas。　But　the　cattle　quarantine　laws　of　1885　nearly　broke　up　the　long　drive　of　that　year。　Men　began　to　talk　of　fencing　off　the　trails；　and　keeping　the　northbound　herds　within　the　fencesa　thing　obviously　impossible。

The　railroads　soon　rendered　this　discussion　needless。　Their　agents　went　down　to　Texas　and　convinced　the　shippers　that　it　would　be　cheaper　and　safer　to　put　their　cows　on　cattle　trains　and　ship　them　directly　to　the　ranges　where　they　were　to　be　delivered。　And　in　time　the　rails　running　north　and　south　across　the　Staked　Plains　into　the　heart　of　the　lower　range　began　to　carry　most　of　the　cattle。　So　ended　the　old　cattle　trails。

What　date　shall　we　fix　for　the　setting　of　the　sun　of　that　last　frontier？　Perhaps　the　year　1885　is　as　accurate　as　anythe　time　when　the　cattle　trails　practically　ceased　to　bring　north　their　vast　tribute。　But；　in　fact；　there　is　no　exact　date　for　the　passing　of　the　frontier。　Its　decline　set　in　on　what　day　the　first　lank　〃nester〃　from　the　States　outspanned　his　sun…burned　team　as　he　pulled　up　beside　some　sweet　water　on　the　rolling　lands；　somewhere　in　the　West；　and　looked　about　him；　and　looked　again　at　the　land　map　held　in　his　hand。

〃I　reckon　this　is　our　land；　Mother；〃　said　he。

When　he　said　that；　he　pronounced　the　doom　of　the　old　frontier。



Chapter　IX。　The　Homesteader

His　name　was　usually　Nester　or　Little　Fellow。　It　was　the　old　story　of　the　tortoise　and　the　hare。　The　Little　Fellow　was　from　the　first　destined　to　win。　His　steady　advance；　now　on　this　flank；　now　on　that；　just　back　of　the　vanguard　pushing　westward；　had　marked　the　end　of　all　our　earlier　frontiers。　The　same　story　now　was　being　written　on　the　frontier　of　the　Plains。

But　in　the　passing　of　this　last　frontier　the　type　of　the　land…seeking　man；　the　type　of　the　American；　began　to　alter　distinctly。　The　million　dead　of　our　cruel　Civil　War　left　a　great　gap　in　the　American　population　which　otherwise　would　have　occupied　the　West　and　Northwest　after　the　clearing　away　of　the　Indians。　For　three　decades　we　had　been　receiving　a　strong　and　valuable　immigration　from　the　north　of　Europe。　It　was　in　great　part　this　continuous　immigration　which　occupied　the　farming　lands　of　upper　Iowa；　Minnesota；　and　the　Dakotas。　Thus　the　population　of　the　Northwest　became　largely　foreign。　Each　German　or　Scandinavian　who　found　himself　prospering　in　this　rich　new　country　was　himself　an　immigration　agency。　He　sent　back　word　to　his　friends　and　relatives　in　the　Old　World　and　these　came　to　swell　the　steadily　thickening　population　of　the　New。

We　have　seen　that　the　enterprising　cattlemen　had　not　been　slow　to　reach　out　for　such　resources　as　they　might。　Perhaps　at　one　time　between　1885　and　1890　there　were　over　ten　million　acres　of　land　illegally　fenced　in　on　the　upper　range　by　large　cattle　companies。　This　had　been　done　without　any　color　of　law　whatever；　a　man　simply　threw　out　his　fences　as　far　as　he　liked；　and　took　in　range　enough　to　pasture　all　the　cattle　that　he　owned。　His　only　pretext　was　〃I　saw　it　first。〃　For　the　Nester　who　wanted　a　way　through　these　fences　out　into　the　open　public　lands；　he　cherished　a　bitter　resentment。　And　yet　the　Nester　must　in　time　win　through；　must　eventually　find　the　little　piece　of　land　which　he　was　seeking。

The　government　at　Washington　was　finally　obliged　to　take　action。　In　the　summer　of　1885；　acting　under　authorization　of　Congress；　President　Cleveland　ordered　the　removal　of　all　illegal　enclosures　and　forbade　any　person　or　association　to　prevent　the　peaceful　occupation　of　the　public　land　by　homesteaders。　The　President　had　already　cancelled　the　leases　by　which　a　great　cattle　company　had　occupied　grazing　lands　in　the　Indian　Territory。　Yet；　with　even…handed　justice　he　kept　the　land　boomers　also　out　of　these　coveted　lands；　until　the　Dawes　Act　of　1887　allotted　the　tribal　lands　to　the　Indians　in　severalty　and　threw　open　the　remainder　to　the　impatient　homeseekers。　Waiting　thousands　were　ready　at　the　Kansas　line；　eager　for　the　starting　gun　which　was　to　let　loose　a　mad　stampede　of　crazed　human　beings。

It　always　was　contended　by　the　cowman　that　these　settlers　coming　in　on　the　semi…arid　range　could　not　make　a　living　there；　that　all　they　could　do　was　legally　to　starve　to　death　some　good　woman。　True；　many　of　them　could　not　last　out　in　the　bitter　combin