Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-02-22

INDUSTRIOUS
MAJOR J. n. MoNTEATH SAYS THE
RED MEN ARE NOT AFRAID
OF WORK.

IL
teath. agent of the Blackfeet Indians.
believes the redman will work as we'll
as his brothers Of any other race up.
der certain conditions.
I'm know the Indians of Northern
Montana will work. for have seen
them at It," said Major Monteath at
the Finlin. Last summer the gov.
eminent employed a large number of
Indians in the work of fencing the
Blackfoot reservation. We built $50
miles Of fence. It was a good fence,
too. composed of Ave wires with sub
stantial posts. 1t encloses the reser-
walton on three sides-north, east and
south. The main range on the west
presents a natural barrier. SO that a
fence is not required vn that side.
1T has been demonstrated in a
number Of reservations that the Amer
lean Indian will work as good as any.
one else. IL he is paid to do SO. He
is commonly regarded as a lazy, shift.
less fellow without thrift and without
the least ambition. In some measure,
this is true. but have found that the
Indians will do good service on work
where many Of them are required to
labor together. Few tribal Indians will
farm. They cannot be content on a
ranch, where their labor would bring
excellent returns, but these same In
dams will accept employment on a
canal or in other enterprises requiring
labor for which they are paid in
money. have found that when In
dams work in bands of from so to sew
eral hundred they will give excellent
service.
I'VE paid our Indians $3.50 a day
for their work last summer, and they
were glad to get the money. When
they work they insist on receiving
their pay in coin. The average Indian
would prefer to receive his pay each
day, II he could get it. and he would
rather work for q stipulated sum in
that way than for salary by the
month, even If by the latter arrange
ment he received more in the end.
Simplifies the Problem.
"The government irrigation work in
the st. Mary canal district will fur
nish employment for a great many
Indians in the next few years, we ex-
pect. st. Mary canal is on the Black
foot Indian reservation, and it will be
the scene of extensive works, II pres
ent plans of the government are car.
ried out. Without the aid of the In
dams as laborers, I can scarcely see
how the government could expect to
complete the work on the reservation
without great loss of time. The fact
that the Blackfeet are willing to work
simplifies the question not little.
I'VE have 2,1OO Indians on that
reservation. They are gradually i'm
proving their condition, and, on the
whole, are very we'll off. They have
the finest grazing country in Ameri
ca, and for many years to come they
can depend upon their lands to fur
nish natural feed for immense bands
of cattle. There are now about 40.
900 head of cattle on the reservation
practically all owned by the In
dams. We distributed 5000 head last
summer among the Indians. Three
thousand cows were furnished by the
government, which also gave out the
same number of calves. These cat
tie are distributed equally, but 1t is tt
be expected that most of them fin
ally reach a comparatively few. Those
Indians that show thrift and enterprise
gradually acquire the holdings ol
their less industrious neighbors. Those
with enterprise can succeed, for as
said before, no country in America
hes greater natural advantages fol
stock raising than the Blackfoot he
servation."
Major Monteath has returned from
Helena. where he was called recently
as q witness in a case ON trial in the
United States court. He expects te
leave the agency at Browning next
m onth, when Captain jeremiah q
Dare, recently appointed by the pres
idout will foko CHARGE