History and government of New Mexico . Mexico and the annual wool andcattle crop that they hauled east were insignificant parts oftheir business. Besides, there was no competition by wateror other means of transportation, and the roads were notslow to see that they had a complete monopoly alongpractically every mile of their lines and could charge allthat the traffic would bear, grant lower rates to favoredshippers, and discriminate against some towns and favor others. II. THE LIVE-STOCK INDUSTRY 229. The First Source of Wealth. — Stock raising wasthe great historic industry from which the Spa
History and government of New Mexico . Mexico and the annual wool andcattle crop that they hauled east were insignificant parts oftheir business. Besides, there was no competition by wateror other means of transportation, and the roads were notslow to see that they had a complete monopoly alongpractically every mile of their lines and could charge allthat the traffic would bear, grant lower rates to favoredshippers, and discriminate against some towns and favor others. II. THE LIVE-STOCK INDUSTRY 229. The First Source of Wealth. — Stock raising wasthe great historic industry from which the Spanish colonistshad regularly produced whatever of wealth they had en- RAILROADS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 195 joyed. In days when there were no railroads or othermeans of transportation, sheep and longhorns had theadvantage of being able to transport themselves to market,first to Chihuahua and elsewhere in northern Mexico,and later over the cattle trails northeastward to Newton,Fort Dodge, and other points as the railroads came Rambouilletts on the Range 230. Sheep Raising. — Sheep raising had been the prin-cipal branch of the live-stock business and was the chiefsource of New Mexican wealth in the first half of thenineteenth century. Sheep numbered 375,000 in 1850 asagainst only 33,000 cattle; and that proportion continuedwith but little change for the next thirty years, thoughthe numbers multiplied many fold. All the rich men inthe country at the time of the American Occupation, excepta few merchants, were the sheep kings — men whose 196 THE HISTORY OF NEW MEXICO great herds of sheep enabled them to enjoy such luxuriesas were obtainable and to send their sons to St. Louis orelsewhere for an education. With markets far away and transportation lacking, theproduction of wool and mutton was no get-rich-quick enter-prise to tempt the speculator looking for sudden wealth,but it was a safe business for the man who was content withslow but steady gains. The range was free,
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