The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1906-06-27
@gSMfMn


.#H.
Hon. M. K. Snifin, secretary of the
Indian Rights Association. has been
making an inspection tour of a num-
Der of reservations and has issued an
interesting report. At Pine Ridge
reservation, in this state, where he
has just been, he finds that the pro-
cess of irrigation is progressing well
The irrigating ditch at Wounded Knee
and various other reservoirs, which
are designed to preserve the natural
water and restore the ain fall, are adj
mirably built and so far have not been
affected by spring freshets. The In
dams are ALSO taking advantage Of
this irrigation project, not only as 1T
| serves to furnish water for their
stock, but also as it is a means of bet
tering their crops. The agency physi-
clan at Pine Ridge reports that while
the death rate five years ago was So
per thousand, 1t has now dropped to
32 per thousand, and hat the Indians
are so much interested in this problem
hat they have invited the docto" to
meet with them and instruct them In
hygiene, and also have pamphlets on
the subject printed in their own Ian
guage. Their attitude on the divorce
question is also of interest. Several
Iqawyers in the vicinity OF the reserva-
ton have charged $50 for the securing
of divorces and the Indians have come
to think that the payment of the $50
is all that is necessary to free them
! from an unpleasant matrimonial alli-
ance. They enter upon the marital
duties usually as lightly as they would
lay them aside, and it is not uncom-
mon now for the district farmer to
bring before a minister a young couple
who have dispensed with the formali-
ties of the marriage ceremony.
A telegram has been received in
Pierre announcing that President
| Roosevelt has signed the bill for the
relief Of the settlers on the forest re-
serve and 1t will become a law imme-
| diately. This is the best of news to
many farmers who. according to the
law formerly in force, would have
been required to tear down their
fences and to abandon the little homes
which they had beer improving.
When the order to tear down
fences came a year ago the
Black Hills Forest Reserve Home
Protective Association was formed.
| Affidavits were then secured for those
! for whom relief was desired and a
very good showing was made. The
matter was first brought before con-
gress in the shape of an amendment
to the Lacey bill then pending, which
would cover such conditions in all
forest reserves. So much opposition,
however, arose to this bill that a sep
| arate bill was framed pertaining only
to the Black Hills forest reserve. This
bill just passed permits qualified
homesteaders who settled on agricul-
tural land in the Black Hills forest
reserve prior to Jan. /, 1906, to enter
such lands under the homestead laws,
and, further, grants to all bona fide
settlers who did not have homestead
rights the privilege of entering these
lands by the payment of $3.50 per
acre. The lands are to be listed by
the agricultural department. This
J places the agriculturists on an equal
footing with the miners, as the price
of $3.50 an acre is that rquired for
placer claims.
Down about Salem, in McCook
| County, they are beginning to tile
drain their farms, and as far north az
Iroquois, in K~ingsbury County, they
are discussing the erection of tile fac
tories as paying propositions. Only
a few years ago in these same sections
the question which received the great
est amount Of agitation was a cheap
n effective method of irrigation,
and means Of holding water on the
lands, and the rain-maker found many
who were willing to pay for his serv'
ices. The situation was such when IL
was decided that ditching was neces-
sary in the southeastern part of the
state a few years g 1t was learned
by those who desired to do such work
the state had no laws which would al
low o comprehensive system of drain
ing to be carried out, and only the last
legislative session cured this lack. The
act nay exist, as Is claimed, that
there is no increase of rainfall in
the state, but the breaking of the prai-
ries has allowed what does come to
soak into the soil instead of running
away, and when the subsoil has taken
a certain mount OF water, provisions
must be made for getting rid of the
surplus, and thing is now a necessity
where more water was wanted a few
Years ago.
The first Of the seasons wool Ia
begun TO arrive at Pierre, but buying
Is not active. The prices appear to be
too uncertain. While some of the wool
growers contracted this years clip
taet fofl ~ o = 0a~fc %Hnoa xrt,-.4fI ~nf
do so are holding for as much or more.
while the buyers are attempting to
bear the market. The chances are
that the season will open with prices
about what they were last year., but
.loAh4. 49, uiiI hnId $50 ~ Ahn4 a.