The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1912-01-05

commissioners of Flathead ane
Sanders counties and Majo1
Morgan, the latter made a trit
to Missoula, and while there was
interviewed by the Missoulian
and gave out the following:
Superintendent Morgan was in
town last night from the reser-
walton, having come in from Ro-
nan, where he met the commits
sioners of Flathead and Sanders
counties for the discussion of
road matters. The Missoula
county commissioners did not at
tend the meeting on account of
the weather, and their absence
was deplored.
''The meeting was interesting
and helpful" said Major Morgan
to a Missoulian reporter. "The
Flathead commissioners came
down from Kalispell in an auto
mobile and reported good travel
ing all the way. Flathead has
done some great road work dur
ing the last two years; the COM
missioners have been earnest in
getting the best possible COM
munication between their dis
trict and the reservation and
they have succeeded remarkably
we'll. The Sanders commission
ers have not done as much on
their section of the reservation
on account Of the demand for
road work in other parts of their
county, but they are now direct
ing their attention to the reser-
walton, and Sanders will soon
have good roads in it's district.
The discussion at the Roman
meeting was interesting and
there will be much good come
from it. We regretted that the
Missoula commissioners were not
there.
"There are a good many COM
plicated problems coming up all
the time in connection with the
building of roads on the reserva-
tion," continued the superinten-
dent. Most of the complaints
come from the new settlers and
the facts in the case are that the
white men more than anyone
else are responsible for the un-
fortunate conditions which exist.
For instance, when the allot-
ments were made, | urged the
Indians to build their fences so
as to allow for roads along the
section lines. Most of them did
so. Then the white settlers came
and the Indians watched them
fence right up to the section
lines. Then l was asked: Why
can the white man do this when
we are told to leave road way?
This places me in an unpleasant
situation. All | can tell the In
dian is that his land is more val
liable with a road along his line.
It certainly is, but the white
mans action does not tend to
make the Indian believe it. In
many cases, | induced the In
dians to leave the old roads open
when they fenced. When the
whites settled. they fenced up
the old roads and clamored for
new ones. And, as you know,
some of them are unreasonable
in the matter Of allowing right
of-way for new roads. On the
west side of the river, some of
the white settlers fenced up the
approaches to the river so that
some of the Indians stock was
nearly dead before a humane Of
ficer could be summoned. He
cut the fence right away. In an
other case one the west side, an
Indian woman has an allotment
at the upper end of a draw; a set
tier located below her and fenced
up the road that she had used.
In trying to drive out by going
over the hill, the woman was
tipped over and received a brok-
en- arm. There are two sides to
this road problem. The Indian
and the interior department are
not to blame for all the trouble
some conditions.
There is another story in cir
culation which Injuries the reser-
walton and which misrepresents
the interior department. You
may quote me in contradiction to
the statement that there are no
more lands to be leased and no
more titles in fee to be issued,
by saying positively that the
policy Of the department has not
ohanUod in the least in either Of