The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-30
Refuge OF POLITICIANS
Opening of the Reservation Is
Again Discussed.
1T NEEDS THE RIGHT MEN
To Bring the Problem to Speedy So
lution-Every Chief on the Reser-
walton Has Been Deceived
by the Commissioners.

Missoula, May 29.-The question of
| the opening of the whole or a part of
| the Flathead Indian reservation has re-
| sumed once more that condition of in
ocuous desuetude that it occupied E1.or
| to the last resurrection that it sustain
| ed. This was on the occasion of the
readjustment of the board # commits
| sioners appointed to treat with the m
dams in this matter. At that time or
Whereabouts, Senator Carter made what
| is generally conceded to be the lest
speech that he has ever delivered. His
theme was the folly that the nali0ral
administration drops into when it
| takes up matters of this sort. II sends
| men out here to treat with the Indians
| who know no more about the nature
| of the case than they do about the ma
! ture of the Indian, and that is moth
! ing. When the commission was recon
| structed it was not with view to Sc
| curing men who would be more COM
| petent or better fitted to negotiate with
the Indians than their predecessors rad
| been. 1t was simply to provide jobs for
| men who had to be rewarded for rnllll-
| cal services. The result is that the
| present board is not as much a treaty
board as it is refuge of politicians.
| The Importance of the matter upon
| which they were appointed to treat
with the Indians is fully understood in
| this part of the state. 1t has been dis
| cussed and its merits fully set forth
many times. 1t is a question of vital
! Importance to all parts of the state.
| In this connection the Libby News
| says:
There has been considerable discus
! sion in regard to the opening of the
| Flathead Indian reservation to settle
| ment. and quite little energy has been
expended by those who are interested
to influence the commission which has
| been appointed to treat with the In
| dams to bring the matter TO a head
| and arrive at some kind of a conclu-
| sion. What the commission has done
| has not been made public: at least the
News has been unable to see anything
in the public prints concerning their
movements. They are at present some
where down on the reservation. or re-
| ported to be there, and ii is presumed
that they are making a thorough eX-
animation Of the proposition and will
soon be in position to open negotia-
'tions with the Indians for a cession of
| large part of their lands. There
are about 1900 of these Indians and
they have a reservation of some 1,500
! or 1000 square miles, which is entirely
! out of proportion to all their needs.
A large amount of this land is con-
| sidered by those who are familiar with
it to be the finest in the state for aS
ricultural purposes, and that there is
enough of this class of land to. sup
port a population of 10000 people. In
addition there is large area of fine
grazing lands. all of which is well wa
tered and admirably adapted by loca-
ton for the wintering of range stock.
Every effort should be made by the
commission and others who can assist
in the matter in any way to effect a
settlement with the Indians and have
these lands thrown open to the pub
lie, and there is no doubt but if the
Indians are approached through the
proper channels and men whom they
know and in whom they have conf
dence are sent to deal with them that
this object can be speedily accomplish
ed II is a matter which is not con-
fined to Flathead nor Missoula coun-
ties, but is of interest to the whole
state"
When the News says IF the Indians
are approached through the proper
channels and men whom they know
and in whom they have confidence are
sent to deal with them, this OBJECT
can be speedily accomplished" il
as it is at present. There is certainly
no doubt that the right men could
bring about the much desired cessiof
of the Indian lands in a short time il
they had an opportunity. The trutf
of the matter is that there is not a
chief on the reservation who has not
been deceived and cheated by these
commissions sent out from the EasI
to treat with them. The Indians DIS
| trust these commissioners ana they
have good reason to distrust them
Readers of the Standard will remember
that, about two years ago. the n:ef
who were then commissioners had sue
ceeded through the friendly interyan
ton of men who possess the confidence
of the Indians in getting the chief:
and their people to assemble at ST. iS
natius mission for a council in .egart
to a cessiOn of lands. 1t will also nt
remembered that when the appola-et
day came the Indians were at the mis-
sion, according to agreement, but tina
the commissioners did not appear. TIL,
! Indians waited several days, but III
| commissioners showed up. The III
dams had but scanty supplies, ds the,
had not expected to remain more thai
a day at the mission, and the prtest'
and the Indian agent were obliged II
issue rations to them.
1t is this sort of treatment tina
| makes the Indians suspicious and dis
satisfied. They do not regard tn
| commissioners as sincere. 1t is no
strange that they do not. The impress
sion that they have gained from eS
perience is that the average commits
sioner is a man who has a fat lob ant
whose only interest is to draw lis sal
airy. That this opinion is shared b!
many who are not Indians is Nitnou
- question, true
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