The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1912-01-19

tenn for that section be started
and completed at an early date.
The petition was sent in by Mr..
A. H. Hudson, who recently re-
ceived the following reply from
Senator Dixon:
Yours relative to the irriga-
tion of the lands in township %,
range q, w., is received. know
the condition in which the settlers
find themselves and | assure you
that | have done and am doing
everything that lies within my
power to expedite the matter. In
fact, | have spent more time and
energy in trying to raise money
to irrigate the Flathead country
than on any other one matter here
at Washington and have succeed
ed in getting an estimate of
$250,000 submitted for the ap-
preparation for the coming year.
You understand, of course, that
the irrigation of the Flathead
land is primarily for the purpose
of 'irrigatingIndian allotments. "
This is the theory that we have
gone on in getting congress to
appropriate the money.
AS the Flathead project is not
under the control of the Recla-
nation Service, what money we
have obtained has been under
difficulties. The new House of
representatives is now of a diff
erent political complexion than is
the senate and the story is they
are going to make record for
economy during the present
session. The chairman of the In
dian committee in the House has
been very strenuous in his criti-
cism of the practice of appropriat-
ing money for the irrigation of
the white mans land under the
guise of irrigating Indian allot-
ments, " the Flathead country has
been cited as one of the examples
of using the public moneys for
speculative purposes.
'In addition to these Difficult
ties a small delegation of Flat
head Indians have recently been
here protesting against the use
of their money" in irrigating
the white mans land.'
There was organized last
week here in Washington the
brotherhood of North American
Indians. The purpose of this
new organization is to have the
moneys from the sale of the land
of Indian reservations paid d.
rect to the Indians. Under the
original Flathead act | provided
that all money received from the
sale of land, timber, townsite,
etc., should be first used for the
irrigation of the land, Indian and
white alike. This is what the
Indians have been protesting
against.
1.-The reclamation engineers,
in order to avoid criticism from
these various sources, have felt
that the best way to proceed was
to first irrigate the land where
the Indian allotments were most
numerous. I fully understand
the impatience of the white set
tiers at the delay in constructing
canals to irrigate their home
stead. | appreciate what the ir-
rigation of the entire Flathead
valley means and it has been my
aim and ambition to try and Sc
cure the money from year to
year to keep the work going un-
til all the land is brought under
irrigation and a high state Of
cultivation. I have felt and still
feel that the final consumation of
this great work is the one great
monument that | hope to erect
out of my ten years of congress
sional service.
1--WE were very much hamp-
cred year or so ago in our ef-
forts here to secure money to
carry on this work by newspaper
attacks from the reservation and
Kalispell alleging that the Flat
head country did not need to be
irrigated" These marked news
paper articles were forwarded to
members of congress and depart
mental officials and undoubtedly
created some feeling against
large appropriations for continu-
ing the work. How local leaders
of public opinion could have been
so near sighted was an enigma
+o mo Thnv wara Only rrirnlinc C.