The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1911-12-08
Volume II. No. 80.

@cnlt tors and Representa-
tive are Requested to Hell
The following resolutions adopted by the Roman Coz
,erca Club regular meeting held December 1911 1t
unanimously voted to send copies of similar organizao
Missoula, Kalispe Poison Dixon and St. 1gnatus, with
uest that they endorse and notify the Montana deeg
ion in congress, to whom it is addressed.
HON. JOS M. DIXON Senator,
HON. HENRY L. MYERS Senator
HON. CHARLES L. PRAY, Representative
Gentemen:
This is addressed to each of you individually and COL
ectvey for the purpose obtaining relief from the grev
herein recd and for the further purpose of again
calling your attention to needed legislation thereon, which
desire to have effect through congress- if
through the department of Indian Affairs if possible with
out further congressional action.
The former Fathead Indian reservation has been
thrown to the public nineteen months. Your
stuents of whom there approximately two thous
and voters besides other citizens believe their interests
not being conserved in the the interests of
other citizens in other portions of this commonwealth and
herein rece their principal grievances and appeal for
relief
We came here to make this country homes;
engaged in various occupations commercial and professional
and we feel that our interests should have some consder
tion well those of the wards of the government with
whom residing neighbors.
Under the present policy outlined by the Department Of
Indian Affairs and approved by the Secretary of the Interior
appears u.s. who have ambitions develop this country
that the said development being retarded by the attitude
OF the Department in not making available the natural re-
of this reservation the details of which
specifically set forth herein.
LEASING OF INDIAN LANDS.
Some 600 of the choicest lands of this
tion have been allotted in severay Indians 1t pre-
sumed by the citizens that the policy of the Indian De-
partment would be to encourage the development of such
lands with the development of the honesteaded
lands by the leasing of same, improvement basis and
likewise provide income for the wards who for the most
part aremnor children and Indians who unable if
capable to do their development If correctly
informed policy of the Indian Department has
H been transmitted to the local superintendent of Indian af
fairs which is to the effect that leases will be al
lowed such Indian lands whenever said lands owned
by Indians We wish protest against this pol
icy and respectfully submit that best knowledge
there is instance where ableboded blanket Indian,
who will in the future be able have the incna-
tion abe out this prairie land and pow his land
build home produce crops become helpful factor in
the community We submit that the Department is only
postponng the day when it will take the view
do
In the first place. of these Indians have the horses
farm implements, means of procuring to
begin farming operations and neither they in position
to obtain credit from the merchants the Department to
encourage the giving of credit the merchant
inclined In the meantime these Indian wards assemble in
small colonies in various places the reservation and for
the most part live in their primitive manner in eepees
in very unsantary condition and live charity
other equally uncertain source.
We further submit that we have no purely selfish
ves in calling these matters to the attention of the Depart
men but that actuated much by the spirit of fair
the Indian to ourselves and that rep
reservations this matter while perhaps plain and the
point will be received in the spirit given Having
submitted the conditions they exist desire to pro-
pose remedy:
We would suggest that all Indian lands be leased for
from three five years and that the local Indian agent be
authorized to make said leases his notion and that
the leases be made that the expiration each individual
Indian will have his eighty in cultivated condition
with house. barns and other Improvements and that by the
example shown by the white settlers he may then ever
be able to make his subsistence his lands. In
the meantime with such development taking place. steam
and will be deuelon