The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-12-07
MONTANA'S REPRESENTATIVES
Will Be Asked to Use Best Endeavors t
Secure Opening of Crow Reservation.

Will be ASKED 10 use Best EnQeaVOrS 10
Secure Opening of Crow Reservation.
State Senator G. O. Gruwell is cir
culating four petitions, which are to
be sen to Montana's representatives
in congress asking them to use their
best endeavors in securing the opening
Of the Grow reservation to settlers.
The petition, a copy Of which follows,
is being quite generally signed:
"Billings, Mont, Dec. 1, 190O.-
Hon. -, Washington, D. g.:
Dear Sir: The undersigned citizens Of
Yellowstone and Custer counties,
Montana. desire to call your attention
to the agreement now pending in the
house Of representatives, for the pur-
chase of certain portions of the Grow
Indian reservation, in Montana.
"The ratification Of this agreement
will be Of i~ncalculable benefit to the
state of Montana, and particularly to
our counties. We most earnestly
urge you to do everything possible at
the present session of congress to see
that this agreement is ratified by the
house, and we respectfully submit the
following facts for your consideration,
as reasons why this agreement should
be ratified:
I'm August, 1899, the Grow Indians,
in council with the treaty commission,
agreed to sell the northern portion Of
their reservation, comprising, approx
mately, 1850, 900 acres, consideration
ST., $50, 900. The Indians are disposing
of lands for which they have no use !;
there are 2, 900 Indians in the tribe;
their reservation at the present time
consists of some 4, 800, 900 acres; their
farming and grazing lands are the
southern portion Of the reservation,
which they retain. The lands they
desire to sell to the government have
been leased to stockmen the past ten
years.
1.-The benefits to be derived by the
Indians through this sale are many,
and will undoubtedly place them upon
a self-supporting basis. Provisions
are made for the expenditure Of $780,
900 for the purchase Of ~two-year-old
southern heifers, to be divided pro
rata among the tribe; 500, 900 for
the completion Of their ditch system:
$40, 900 for the erection Of a hospital;
$50, 900 deposited in the United States
treasury at four per cent, for the main
tenance of said hospital; $40. 900 for
fencing the reservations; $40, 900 for
the purchase Of sheep; $15, 600 for the
purchase of jacks, for breeding mules,
the remainder to be placed in the
United States treasury, the Indians to
receive an annual annuity OF $12 per
capita.
"The government receives a mag
nificent tract Of land, comprising a
large amount OF farming land as we'll
as grazing land; the principal bodies
of farming land lie upon the Big Horn
and Yellowstone rivers, which furnish
an unlimited supply of water for irri-
CATION purposes. The consideration,
as you will observe, is most equitable,
as compared with sales of large tracts
Of railroad lands throughout Montana.
The Northern Pacific railway corpora
ton, in which is vested the title to a
large amount Of land through this
state, have received 81 per acre for
grazing lands, and much larger
amounts for farming lands. A sale in
Yellowstone was contaminated by this
railway company a short time ago for
106 sections Of straight grazing lands,
comprising no farming lands whatever,
at ST. per acre.
"The government, by the purchase
of this tract, will open for settlers
lands that will be settled by homeseek-
ers throughout the country. The
available government lands now open
for settlement are most limited, and
comprise, in our state, grazing lands
entirely.
"We respectively solicit your en-
deavors to the end that the purchase of
these lands be made by the govern
ment.' Dr.