The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-01-08
INDIANS AS FARMERS.

INDIANS AS FARMERS.
THE CROWS ONCE A WARLIKE Ma
TON NOW TILL THE SOIL.
They Are Raising Fine Crops and Show
Considerable Evidence of Prosperity
-IIave Built Elmo Irrigating Canals
Under the Governments Direction.
cts oil mistake to suppose that
the only good Indian is dead Indian, :"
said lnanin the employ Of the United
States, who arrived yesterday from the
Grow reservation. GIVE just come
from place where there are good live
Indians and many of them, too. I
used to think that knew a thing or
two about our tribal Indians, but I
lately cauhe to the conclusion that I
had knows mighty little about them,
after all.
''This year the Indians have Saised
some fine crops, and they are begin
ming to show signs Of prosperity and
thrift. They ore not doing as we'll as
they will do in five years from now,
but that cannot be expected. A large
per cent. Of the farming has been car
ried on by communities, but that sys-
tenn has not proved satisfactory. It
never did any place in the world, and
it won't there, for there are always
some more Industrious and thrifty
persons in each community who feel,
and doubtless with justice, that they
do not get their share of the proceeds
at the end Of the year, while there ore
others too lazy to work much, who get
about as much out of the community
property as the thrifty, Woodworking
class. In time, it is bound to come to
individual farms on all parts of the
reservation, for that is the only salts
factory way to manage the business.
"The greatest wonder of all on the
Grow reservation is the irrigating CO.
nails that have been built there. Work
was commenced on them in 1890, I
believe, and since then eight big
canals, carrying sufficient water to IT.
rigate from 1000 to 10000 acres each,
have been completed and are now in
use, while ninth, the largest ditch
Of all, is being constructed. This big
canal will extend from the mouth of
the Big Horn canyon about forty five
miles to point within five miles of
Fort Custer. The water, you know,
is taken from the Big Horn River,
down which the canal extends for the
first fifty miles. Nine miles of the
canal havesbeen built.
"Allithe canals constructed by the
Government on the reservation were
built mainly by the Indians them.
selves. The skilled labor for the
most part, Of course, was taken from
the ranks Of the whites, but out of
about It's men now working on the
canal there are only thirty or forty
white men. I was told by the superin.
tendent] in charge that the Indians
were becoming skilled in the various
branches Of the work. While most of
the Indians are mere laborers, there
are some who are on the executive
force. There are several Indian gang
foremen and sub-boses, and they do
their work we'll.
''The strangest part of this work to
me is the fact that the Indians de-
light to labor. I am told that there is
not the least trouble in securing To-
borers from among the Indians. In
fact, there is an oversupply all the
time, and sometimes this becomes SO
annoying that the agent is requested
to call some of the bucks of. There
are cases on record where the Indian
police have been offered, and paid,
too, sums ranging from 81 up by In.
dams who desired to be overlooked III
the selection of those who were to be
sent away. The laborers are paid
$3.50 a day, and the men with teams
get So o day. Those who have posi-
lions as foremen get even better wages
They save their money, as rule, and
invest it in sensible ways.
*"The big canal will carry wate1
enough to irrigate about $4,000 acres
Of land. That part that is built now
or the upper portion of it, at least, il
thirty feet broad OF the bottom, and i
will carry a stream eight feet Deep
veritable river in itself. The walls O.
the canal are twenty feet high at it,
head. The great height was necessary
as the Big Horn River in the spring
occasionally gets very high. The frs
five miles of the canal were hewed GU
Of almost solid rock. About 20,0O|
pounds Of dynamite were used on tina
part Of the canal already completed
Every feature of the work is perfec
and one can't help but be impresse.
with the permanency Of it."--Helen'
Montana) Independent.
Food, Work and Sleep.
What great mistake it is to con
tend that time taken from toll fo1
sleep and recreation is time lost